As Many as 13 dead in Upstate NY shooting

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As Many as 13 dead in Upstate NY shooting

Postby sunny » Fri Apr 03, 2009 2:32 pm

Suprisingly, the perps were apparently taken alive

BINGHAMTON, NY - A gunman armed with a high-powered rifle blocked the back door of an immigration services center with his car this morning before walking through the front door, killing as many as 13 and wounding 26 others, authorities said.

Two men were later taken out of the building in handcuffs, CNN reported, although police did not offer any details.

The gunman barricaded the rear door of the American Civic Association with his car at about 10:30 a.m. before entering through the front door and firing his weapon, according to CNN.

Emergency dispatchers were in contact with some people inside by phone, WBNG-TV reported.

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 at the emergency room.

The building is located along a stretch on the west side of the Chenango River in the upstate city of about 45,000 near the Pennsylvania border.

The American Civic Association describes itself as helping immigrants with counseling services and citizenship papers.

It also intervenes with emergencies, including fighting and homelessness, according to information from the association's Web site.

Binghamton is located 135 miles north of the city.

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Postby sunny » Fri Apr 03, 2009 4:53 pm

So who were the two men led away in handcuffs?


(CNN) -- A lone gunman killed at least 12 people and himself Friday in an immigration services center in Binghamton, New York, a government official said.


Emergency personnel tend to a person taken from the building where the shootings took place.

1 of 3 The gunman carried identification that said he was 42 and from upstate New York, the official said.

A warrant is being obtained to search the suspected shooter's home in Binghamton, another law enforcement source said.

Officials would not name the suspect.

Five people were wounded, the official said. Watch latest on shootings in upstate New York »

Three victims were taken to Wilson Medical Center with gunshot wounds to various extremities, Wilson spokeswoman Christina Boyd said.

A fourth victim was taken to another area hospital, Boyd said.

The local police command center said SWAT teams are still inside, clearing the building.

The shootings began about 10:30 a.m. ET at the American Civic Association, which helps immigrants and refugees, a law enforcement source said. Watch witness describe his shock over incident »

More than a dozen people were wounded, and 20 to 40 people may have been taken hostage, the source said.

"This is a horrible situation," Gov. David Paterson said. Watch Gov. Paterson ask for moment of silence »

"There's no available data on what's going on there other than the fact that lives have been lost."

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Street view of shooting scene
iReport.com: Are you there? Share your stories, send images
Two people who were led from the building in plastic handcuffs are not considered suspects, WBNG reported. (ok, WHY were they led away in handcuffs?~sunny)

Video from the scene showed a person on a stretcher being taken to an ambulance. Watch interactive view of shooting scene

The Press & Sun-Bulletin said that about 10 people came out of the building shortly after noon. They emerged with their hands on their heads. The police searched some of them, the newspaper reported.

About 12:40 p.m., another 10 -- clad in white sheets -- came out of the rear of the building, the newspaper said. Watch how the SWAT reacts to a hostage situation »

The FBI sent hostage negotiators and an evidence response team to the scene, spokesman Richard Kolko said.

American Civic Association
• Founded in 1939 by group of immigrants
• Private organization funded by United Way
• Sponsors citizenship education
• Promotes racial, religious, political understanding
• Helps immigrants get visas, green cards
• Hosts everything from tenants' rights seminars to St. Patrick's dinners to polka concerts Nearby apartments were evacuated, and Binghamton High School was locked down for most of the afternoon.

"Within minutes, [the situation] turned into one just flooded with police," Bob Joseph, news director of WNBF Radio, told CNN. Are you there? See submitted images, send your own

The American Civic Association helps immigrants and refugees with a number of issues, including personal counseling, resettlement, citizenship and reunification, and provides interpreters and translators, according to the United Way of Broome County, which is affiliated with the association.

Rashidun Haque, who owns a nearby convenience store, said police had him and his four customers stay inside and away from the windows.

"I'm really shaky, because this kind of thing -- it's a small city, it's a beautiful city, but nothing goes down serious like this," Haque said. Watch store owner describe police 'flooding the streets' »

He said the Civic Association building is about a two-minute walk from downtown.


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Postby Gouda » Fri Apr 03, 2009 6:05 pm

AP Link
The suspected gunman carried identification with the name of 42-year-old Jiverly Voong of nearby Johnson City, N.Y., a law enforcement official said.

But the name is an alias that the man has used in the past, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and was talking on condition of anonymity.

Police did not mention a motive. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, whose district includes Binghamton, said the gunman had recently been let go from IBM in nearby Johnson City.

...

A woman who answered the phone at a listing for Henry D. Voong said she was Jiverly Voong's sister but would not give her name.

Asked if she was aware that he might have been involved in the shooting, she said: "How? He didn't have a gun. I think somebody involved, not him. I think he got shot by somebody else."

"I think there's a misunderstanding over here because I want to know, too," she said.


That rampage kind of further shunts the following news (Thursday, April 2) off to the side:

Institutionalized murder in the immigration system: Migration Agency’s Revised List of Immigrant Deaths in US Custody Reaches 90
The document that follows, “List of Detainee Deaths since October 2003,” is the government’s latest account of deaths in immigration detention, through Feb. 7, 2009. Compiled by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and obtained by The New York Times under the Freedom of Information Act, it lists the names of 90 people who died, their dates of birth and death, their nationality, where they died or were last held, whether an autopsy report or death certificate was secured, and the cause of death.
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Postby nathan28 » Fri Apr 03, 2009 6:34 pm

Gouda wrote:AP Link
The suspected gunman carried identification with the name of 42-year-old Jiverly Voong of nearby Johnson City, N.Y., a law enforcement official said.

But the name is an alias that the man has used in the past, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and was talking on condition of anonymity.

Police did not mention a motive. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, whose district includes Binghamton, said the gunman had recently been let go from IBM in nearby Johnson City.

...

A woman who answered the phone at a listing for Henry D. Voong said she was Jiverly Voong's sister but would not give her name.

Asked if she was aware that he might have been involved in the shooting, she said: "How? He didn't have a gun. I think somebody involved, not him. I think he got shot by somebody else."

"I think there's a misunderstanding over here because I want to know, too," she said.


That rampage kind of further shunts the following news (Thursday, April 2) off to the side:

Institutionalized murder in the immigration system: Migration Agency’s Revised List of Immigrant Deaths in US Custody Reaches 90
The document that follows, “List of Detainee Deaths since October 2003,” is the government’s latest account of deaths in immigration detention, through Feb. 7, 2009. Compiled by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and obtained by The New York Times under the Freedom of Information Act, it lists the names of 90 people who died, their dates of birth and death, their nationality, where they died or were last held, whether an autopsy report or death certificate was secured, and the cause of death.


good keyword hijack. i'm getting "massacre of the month" fatigue.
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Postby Hugh Manatee Wins » Fri Apr 03, 2009 7:05 pm

Impeccable timing.

Just before the 41st anniversary of the FBI/CIA/DoD assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on 4/4/68.

Back when that 200lb chimp got shot just before the anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X I could see the marketing of 'lone gunman' being ramped up for the big one, MLK, by creating COPY CAT killings, a process as predictable as plumbing.
CIA runs mainstream media since WWII:
news rooms, movies/TV, publishing
...
Disney is CIA for kidz!
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Postby Fresno_Layshaft » Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:10 am

Hugh Manatee Wins wrote:Impeccable timing.

Just before the 41st anniversary of the FBI/CIA/DoD assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on 4/4/68.

Back when that 200lb chimp got shot just before the anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X I could see the marketing of 'lone gunman' being ramped up for the big one, MLK, by creating COPY CAT killings, a process as predictable as plumbing.


This is appalling, even for you.
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Postby nomo » Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:38 am

You're losing your touch, Hugh.

Of course the obvious keyword hijack here is death at an immigration center versus immigrant detainee deaths.

MLK and chimps in this context? FAIL.
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Postby mentalgongfu2 » Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:21 am

report from the Binghampton paper at pressconnects.com

Binghamton shooting: Gunman kills 13, himself at Civic Association

By John Hill
johnhill@gannett.com

BINGHAMTON -- Fourteen dead. Four hospitalized. A city shaken and a nation horrified.

Abrupt and massive tragedy struck Binghamton on Friday, when a lone gunman went on a mid-morning rampage at the American Civic Association, killing 13 before taking his own life.

Thirty-three people escaped the shooting unharmed but shaken, after a harrowing three-hour ordeal. Twenty-seven people holed up in the basement, others hid in a classroom just feet from the dead.

Many of the victims and survivors were recent immigrants, taking English and citizenship classes and on the path to American citizenship. Others were the teachers of those classes.

The shooting stunned a community that has had just one murder since 2008.

Mayor Matthew T. Ryan called it "the most tragic day in Binghamton history."

An account of the shooting provided by Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski during a press conference at city hall painted a terrifying picture:

Having already blocked the rear door with his car, the man entered the building through the front door firing. He immediately shot a receptionist.

"I don't think there was any conversation. He just came in and shot her," Zikuski said.

The woman, shot in the abdomen, played dead while the man shot and killed another receptionist, then moved left into a classroom to continue his shooting spree.

From under her desk, the injured receptionist called 911 at 10:31 a.m., telling a dispatcher she had been shot and that a man with a handgun was in the building and had fired several more shots.

Binghamton police were on the scene two minutes later. By that time, all the shooting was done. It was unknown how many shots were fired.

Zikuski said police removed 37 people from the building at 131 Front Street, including four injured people who are in critical condition. The dead were left in the building until shortly before 6 p.m.

Police believe the shooter killed himself, though they were awaiting a positive identification before confirming that information. One of the dead was found with a satchel around his neck, filled with ammunition, Zikuski said.

A federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press the shooter had identification saying he was 42-year-old Jiverly Voong. The name is an alias that the man has used in the past, said the official.

Zikuski didn't name the man believed to be the shooter, but said the prime suspect was known to frequent the Civic Association.

According to scanner reports, a 1993 Toyota at the scene was registered to Henry Voong of Johnson City. Zikuski said the car's owner told police the perpetrator borrowed a car to apparently attend a class at the Civic Association.

The man used two semi-automatic handguns. The man who borrowed the Toyota has two handguns registered to him,
Zikuski said.

Authorities later searched the home of the suspected gunman, carrying out three computer hard drives, a brown canvas rifle case, a briefcase, a small suitcase and several paper bags.

Two handguns were recovered at the scene, but there was "absolutely no indication any rifle was used."

The gunman had recently been let go from IBM, said Rep. Maurice Hinchey, whose district includes Binghamton. The gunman opened fire on a citizenship class, Hinchey told AP.

Zikuski said police debriefed the receptionist who survived and she said it wasn't unusual to have 100 people or more in the center. "I don't know if anybody except the receptionist who survived actually saw the shooter," he said.

Omri Yigal, of Binghamton, said his wife Dolores Yigal, both 53, was in the building. Dolores, who is from the Philippines and wants to become a citizen, was taking English classes at the center. Even now, he doesn't know what has happened with her.

"I've been walking back and forth from (Catholic Charities) to the scene and back home," Omri Yigal said. "The only thing I have right now is hope." Yigal said a police captain told him it was a "gruesome scene down there."

The American Civic Association helps immigrants and refugees with immigration and personal counseling, resettlement, citizenship, family reunification and translators. It also intervenes with emergencies, including fighting hunger and homelessness, according to information from the association's Web site.

City councilwoman Teri Rennia said the tragedy of the shooting was magnified by the fact it happened at such a positive place. "It's even more of an insult that something so heinous happened there," she said.

During an evening news conference at city hall, Gov. David A. Paterson compared the tragedy to recent shootings in Alabama, where nine people were killed, and Oakland, Calif., when four police officers were shot to death.

"And now here in Binghamton, we probably have the worst tragedy and (most) senseless crime in the history of this city," Paterson said. "When are we going to be able to curb the kind of violence that is so fraught and so rapid that we can't even keep track of the incidents?"

Vice President Joe Biden called Ryan from Air Force Two to relay his and President Obama's sympathies, the mayor said.

The situation triggered a massive police response. SWAT teams circled the building. Dozens of ambulances screamed to the site. Around 11:35, a sniper in camouflage climbed a ladder to take a position on the roof of a garage behind the building.


Police and ambulance crews began staging at Oak and Main streets, the site of Binghamton High School, shortly after 10:30 a.m. Local apartments were evacuated and businesses, including a nearby nursing home, were placed under lockdown. The high school was also locked down.

At 2:40 p.m., Binghamton police indicated the situation was over and that a SWAT team was making sure there were no people inside the building.

"We had to repeatedly reassure (the people in the basement) over the next couple of hours that we were coming to get them," Zikuski said.

The police presence drew a large crowd, with many snapping cell phone pictures and speculating on what was occurring. The Broome County Sheriff's Office issued an alert telling people to limit cell phone use, including texting, during the crisis.

Three patients at Wilson Regional Medical Center ranged from serious to critical condition. One patient was treated at Lourdes Hospital and was in stable condition, spokeswoman Kathy Kramer said.

Both hospitals postponed all elective surgeries and called in extra personnel to staff their emergency rooms during the crisis.

Shortly after noon, about 10 people were released from the building, with hands on their heads. The police searched some of them.

A few people were secured with zip-ties around their hands until police could be sure they weren't suspects, Zikuski said. None of the survivors are considered suspects, he said.

Around 12:40 p.m., another 10 were released from the rear of the building, clad in white sheets. They were shaken and hugged each other as they boarded a BC Transit bus.

Family members of the hostages and victims were being told to gather at 232 Main St., Binghamton, while more ambulance crews were on standby. A crisis hotline was established by Broome County government for community and family members who might have had relatives present at the American Civic Association shooting incident. The number is 607-778-3911.

The suspect was initially described as an Asian male in his 20s, between 5-feet 8-inches and 6 feet tall, wearing a bright green nylon jacket and dark-rimmed glasses.

Broome Community College Assistant Professor Tuong Hung Nguyen was asked to work with police to communicate with the shooter. Nguyen is fluent in Vietnamese.

Broome County activated its Emergency Operations Center at the Broome County Public Safety Facility on Front Street and sent out an emergency alert, said Brett Chellis, director of emergency services for Broome.

Marsha Maroney, of the office of development at Catholic Charities, said during the afternoon the organization had 50 family members and friends who were in the association building, and had 25 counselors trying to help their families.

"Trying to help people get through this. The worry is getting to them," said Maroney.

Sen. Thomas W. Libous, R-Binghamton, said the governor called him away from budget hearings on the Senate floor to relay the news. The men both flew to Binghamton for an afternoon press conference.


The Senate extended the same courtesy to Libous as they did to ailing Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson, D-Mount Vernon, on Thursday, allowing Libous to vote in advance of the budget bills so he could leave.

"Our prayers are certainly with the family members. I know it was at the American Civic Society. I have a lot of very, very close and dear friends there," Libous said on the Senate floor. "As we get details, we're going to need to do whatever we can to comfort the families."

http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20090403/NEWS01/904030436
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Postby Fat Lady Singing » Mon Apr 06, 2009 9:28 am

Anyone else notice how quickly this fell from the headlines? Now it's all about the guy who killed his five children: http://tinyurl.com/cdh86p

It does make me wonder...
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