Gunman Kills 13 In Binghamton, NY
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| Fri, 04-03-2009 - 5:40pm |
The details are still being investigated, but the gunman killed 13 and wounded 5 others before taking his own life. So sad, and so unnecessary.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30030756/
Police: 14 killed in N.Y. rampage
Gunman blocks back door, opens fire at immigrant offices in Binghamton
NBC News and news services
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - A gunman walked into an immigrant services center and opened fire on Friday, killing 13 people before he killed himself, police said.
Earlier, the number of dead had been variously put at 12 to 16 by Gov. David Paterson and law enforcement officials.
At a news conference on Friday afternoon, police said they found a man's body with ammunition and concluded he was the gunman. They would not identify the gunman, saying they believed they knew his name but that they wanted to confirm it through fingerprints.
"I speak for all of New York when I offer my prayers for the victims and families of this tragedy," Paterson said hours after the gunman used his car to block the back door of the services center, walked in the front door and opened fire.
Rep. Maurice Hinchey, whose district includes Binghamton, said the gunman had recently been let go from IBM in Johnson City and opened fire on a citizenship class.
At least 41 people were in the American Civic Association building at the time of the shooting and that citizenship classes had been scheduled Friday at the center, The Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin reported.
Mayor Matthew Ryan initially said the gunman had a high-powered rifle but law-enforcement sources later told NBC that he had actually used two handguns.
The suspect was described as a man in his 20s between 5 feet, 8 inches, and 6 feet tall, wearing a bright green nylon jacket and dark-rimmed glasses.
Police locked down a nearby high school and advised local business owners to stay inside.
Rich Griffith, who works across the street from the hostage scene, said he saw three people carried out of the building on stretchers alive.
Binghamton, with a population around 45,000, is about 150 miles northwest of New York City. The American Civic Association helps immigrants in the area with naturalization applications, counseling, resettlement, citizenship, family reunification and translators.
Mary Pat Hyland, who teaches classes at the center, told MSNBC that many of the immigrants served there are from Vietnam and Laos. "We have a very diverse ethnic area," she said.
The association’s president, Angela Leach, “is very upset right now,†said Mike Chanecka, a friend who answered a call at her home as Leach wept in the background.
“She doesn’t know anything; she’s as shocked as anyone,†Chanecka said. “For some reason, she had the day off today. And she’s very worried about her secretary.â€
At least six hospitalized
Five people with gunshot wounds were being treated at Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City, according to hospital spokeswoman Christina Boyd.
The wounded ranged in age from 20 to their mid-50s, and their conditions ranged from stable to critical, she said.
Linda Miller, a spokeswoman at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, confirmed that a student from Binghamton University was being treated in the emergency room.
Around 1 p.m. ET, Pennie Kerber, 72, told the AP in a phone call from her home across the street that the scene appeared to be settling down.
"The cops are all standing around in the front now. They're still all over the roof for sure," she said. "The SWAT shooters that were to the side of the building look like they're not there anymore."
Redeemer Lutheran Church in Binghamton planned a prayer vigil on Friday night for those affected by the shooting.>>>full article at the link above

Opal

I was following this on NPR earlier this afternoon.
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It's unbelievable that anyone would have a motive to kill innocent people taking a test to become citizens of the US.
...a normal person would simply not do this.
NY gunman angry over poor English skills, job loss
Complete article at link...
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gJkIIKfdTrpMZyiQPW7SWmCNR2HAD97BLLMG0
The man who police say killed 13 people in a shooting rampage inside an immigrant community center was depressed and angry over losing his job and about his poor English skills, the Binghamton mayor and police said Saturday.
Police Chief Joseph Zikuski told NBC's "Today" that people "degraded and disrespected" the gunman over his poor English. Mayor Matthew Ryan, speaking on ABC's "Good Morning America," said the man, believed to be 42-year-old Vietnamese immigrant Jiverly Voong, was angry about his language issues and his lack of employment.
On Friday, he barricaded the American Civic Association community center's back door with his car, walked in the front and started shooting with two handguns. Within minutes, a receptionist, 12 immigrants taking a citizenship class and the gunman were dead. Another receptionist, who played dead after she was shot in the abdomen, called 911 to get police to the scene within two minutes.
Zikuski said the injured receptionist stayed on the phone for 90 minutes, "feeding us information constantly," despite a serious wound in the abdomen.
"She's a hero in her own right," he said.
"A bad economy (not entirely surprisingly) seems to bring out the worst in people."
Sadly true. :(