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The skyline of Chicago is seen on Jan. 28, 2014.JEFF HAYNES/Reuters

A demoted worker shot and critically wounded his company's CEO before fatally shooting himself Thursday inside a downtown Chicago office building in the bustling financial district, police said.

Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said a worker at a technological company pulled a gun after entering the 17th-floor office to meet one-on-one with his CEO. There was a struggle for the gun, and the CEO was shot twice before the gunman fatally shot himself, McCarthy said.

McCarthy said the company was downsizing and "a number of people," including the alleged shooter, were being demoted.

"Apparently he was despondent over the fact that he got demoted," McCarthy said.

The 54-year-old victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition, while the other man, described as the 59-year-old offender, was pronounced dead at the scene. Their names haven't been released.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the shooting took place in the offices of a company named ArrowStream.

The Tribune reported that the shooter who took his own life was a 59-year-old executive of the company, while the victim of the attack was the company's 54-year-old CEO. The Tribune reported that the shooter was demoted on Friday as part of a wider downsizing of the company, citing a police source.

The office is in the Bank of America building, a block from the Chicago Board of Trade and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Workers said they received e-mails from the building security at about 10 a.m. telling them there was a security situation in the lobby and to stay at their desks. A few minutes later, someone came over the intercom to tell them everything was clear.

"We didn't know what to think," said Jay Patel, who works on the 11th floor.

With a report from Globe staff

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