In a shocking act of violence, two gunmen, apparently dressed as police officers, opened fire at the front steps of the Port Charles Police Department, leaving two injured. Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and abdomen and remains in critical condition following emergency surgery at General Hospital, while Zander Smith received a gunshot wound to his shoulder. However, it is doubtful that they were the actual targets of the shooting, as the bulk of the machine gun fire appeared to be directed at the front porch of the PCPD, causing severe structural damage and prompting the local building inspector to proclaim it "a total loss."

"It's a darned shame," said Officer Rick Johnson of the tragedy, "there was a lot of history in that stoop. It was a great piece of architecture."

"Yeah, it had kind of an Art Deco look about it," added Detective Alex Garcia, shaking his head sadly. "They just don't make 'em like that anymore."

Witnesses to the shooting included Corinthos, who was not available for comment, Smith, Alexis Davis and Emily Quartermaine.

"I had just been released from custody, and was playing around in the snow with Emily," said Smith, "when I looked up and saw these two policemen with machine guns. I grabbed Emily and we hit the ground, but one of the bullets must've ricocheted off the porch and hit me in the shoulder."

"Sonny Corinthos was a real hero," said Davis. "He stood up and made himself a target, drawing some of the fire away from the stoop. He always was fond of good architecture, but I never realized how strongly he felt about it until that day."

Meanwhile, the owners of other prominent buildings in Port Charles are becoming increasingly alarmed. Stefan Cassadine stated in a telephone interview that "all of Wyndemere's gargoyles will be under heavy guard until these architectural assassins are brought to justice." Luke Spencer, in a cable from an undisclosed location, pointed out the similarities between this attack and the assault on his club a few years ago. "Sure, we all thought at the time that they were shooting at Jason Morgan," he wrote, "but the monkeys outside my club got the worst of it." "This is an outrage! Who's going to protect my flying buttresses?" said an obviously distraught Edward Quartermaine. [Later, this reporter was to learn that the aforementioned buttresses actually belong to Monica Quartermaine.]

Police Commissioner Malcolm Scorpio promises to make the shooting his top priority. "It is especially troubling to think that one or more of my officers might've been involved," he said. "I'll be questioning each of them personally, and I won't rest until all of the buildings of Port Charles are safe again."

When questioned about possible motives for the shooting, Scorpio shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows what's going to set people off?" he said, "Maybe that whole Corinthian versus Doric thing finally came to a head."

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