Posted on 04/03/2009 3:06:49 PM PDT by neverdem
(Binghamton, N.Y. / ABC News) -- As many as 13 people have been shot dead and wounded dozens in a shooting rampage inside an upstate New York civic association building that caters to immigrants, according to federal and state authorities.
The gunman, Jiverly Voong, allegedly held dozens of people hostage for several hours before shooting himself to death, police said.
According to multiple state law enforcement officials, the gunman entered the one-story American Civic Association in downtown Binghamton about 10 a.m. today and began his shooting spree.
A senior law enforcement official told ABC News that 13 people were shot dead and 26 were wounded.
Officials said Voong entered the civic association armed with two heavy caliber automatic pistols -- a 9 mm and a .45 caliber handgun. He carried a bag filled with high capacity magazines, a survival knife and a flashlight, according to police.
Voong backed his car up to the rear door of the building to block any escape before he went to the front of the building and started to execute people, police said.
Voong, 41, also known as Linh Phat Voong, was from Johnson City, N.Y. He allegedly burst into the civic center wearing a bright green nylon jacket and dark-rimmed glasses and promptly shot the receptionist dead and then killed two other people. He then headed for another room of the civic association and opened fire again.
When the carnage was over, Voong's body was found on first the floor with a hunting knife jammed into the waistband of his pants.
"He shot those people? No. No," said a woman who identified herself as Voong's sister, but would not give her name when reached by ABC News.com.
She said her brother went to take classes today at the civic association and that she had not heard from him since. She said she did not know that he was involved in the shooting.
"I'm going to pass out," she said and hung up the phone.
Police also contacted Voong's sister to say her brother was dead. She told police that Voong was attending language classes at the civic center. She said Voong is a U.S. citizen and has been in this country for 28 years.
Voong had recently been laid off from IBM in Johnson City, U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, a Democrat whose district includes Binghamton, told the Associated Press. The gunman opened fire on a citizenship class, he said.
"People were there in the process of being tested for their citizenship," Hinchey said. "It was in the middle of a test. He just went in and opened fire."
Several hours after the shooting began, hostages started exiting the building and police declared the gunman dead.
By 1:30 p.m., police began escorting people out of the building, but continued to treat the building as a crime scene where the shooter might still be lurking.
Eyewitness Account Eyewitness Nick Masucci, a community college student and Binghamton resident, said he watched as many as 20 people exit the building and get patted down by police.
"They look like immigrants, lots of different cultures coming out of there. Some people are getting patted down. The police are taking a lot of precautions, they're still taking cover," he said.
Several people were removed from the building on stretchers. Others left with their hands on their heads and were searched by police.
City councilman Martin Gerchman said he recently returned from the scene and said it looked like the building was "secure."
Earlier today police called Broome Community College to find someone who could speak fluent Vietnamese to "assist police with translation," said college spokesman Richard David.
Police, he said, did not indicated whether the translator, Professor Tuong Nguyen, was needed to speak with the shooter or with hostages, but believed the professor would be talking with the shooter.
Wilson Medical Center, the closest hospital to the site of the shootings, said three patients had been sent to its trauma center, one of them in critical condition.
One patient, according to a spokeswoman, had been brought to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.
"We're on full alert anticipating we're going to get additional casualties," hospital spokeswoman Linda Miller said.
FBI Sent Hostage Negotiators People were told in nearby buildings to stay away from windows and Binghamton High School is under a lock-down as police are using the school as a staging area. The school is a block and a half away from the shooting site.
Ten ambulances were called to the scene and an FBI hostage rescue team is reportedly on the way.
"The FBI is providing assistance to the Binghamton Police Department," FBI spokesman Rich Kolko said. "FBI Albany has sent Hostage Negotiators, Evidence Response Team and Command Post assistance. This is a rapidly developing situation and we refer you to the Binghamton Police Department for any additional information."
The FBI and New York State Police sent hostage negotiators, evidence collection teams and investigators to support the efforts of the Binghamton police in securing the scene, collecting the evidence and guiding hostages and people who hid from the gunman to safety.
New York Gov. David Paterson said, "We are monitoring the situation and I have directed the State Police to assist the Binghamton Police Department in any way they can."
At the time of the shooting the civic association was holding citizenship classes.
Except the group of people referred to as Democrats.
I love how they say “heavy caliber”.
This is my hometown, though I haven’t been there in years (except for my mother’s funeral last year). Neil and I still have kinfolks there.
Now the very next thing will be the calls for MORE “sensible” gun control, which means opportunities for MORE of this sort of senseless murder rampage.
No, I do catch myself on that one as well... My Mom was what you would call a “good” Democrat. When we speak of the liberals or Democrats as a group based on their common beliefs, and their public ACTIONS taken AS a group, and identifying themselves AS a group personally, it’s a little different IMHO than assuming just because someone is an immigrant means they are engaging in criminal activity. Hard to explain, but there is a slight difference there.
LOL — you know, those of us in the “black helicopter crowd” were proven correct yesterday, right? ;) Don’t worry — you’re not crazy! :)
See these clips:
Sean Hannity, Dick Morris: Conspiracy People were RIGHT
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2220878/posts
I'm looking for something more tangible like a new SSRI antidepressant or an increase in the dose causing serotonin syndrome.
SSRI stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. If you come across a story with that, please remember me.
Something else just occurred to me... You do know that punishing family members is how dictators like Saddam held/hold their power right?
This has to be fake. New York has:
1. High capacity magazine ban.
2. Permit required to purchase.
3. License required to possess.
4. Mandated registration.
5. Permit required to carry.
This can’t have happened! They have strict gun control! /sarc
The other thing is.... 9mm is a “heavy” caliber now??????
It’s a *major* caliber... bit it’s not a heavy caliber.
The .45 is just that, though.
Have you seen th enews clip of Biden announcing this “tragedy” to a crowd he was going to give a speech to today...
He sounded so remenisent of President Bush when he announced the 9-11 attacks...
The gasps from the crowd was deafening...
And he did not miss a chance to drop the ever present hint of a need to “end” this violence...
Good call there dipsh!t...You must have ate yer Wheaties or taken some Gincoba to ward off those brainfarts today...
“Never waste a good crisis...” (a tried and true liberal/socialist template)
Didn’t those maniacs in Columbine have guns in their rooms along with bomb making stuff in the garage. Of their parents.
Somehing definitely snapped. Wonder if we will ever know. Perhaps Vong escaped to thei s contry fro the communists, had to start life all over agian, had part of the American dream,but it was destroyed somehow, and his beinig fired from IBM cracked him, he maybe could not face starting "all over" again.
These incidents are on the increase. People are snapping.
The only way to stop these multiple shootings is for the press to stop ululating on the news about these things. The more hyperventilating coverage these things get, the more likely that some other basket case will want to "go out with a bang" and earn some fame as well.
Maybe he was trying to learn something other than English.
Ooops, I meant to say, “The only way to stop these multiple shootings (aside from making sure EVERY law abiding citizen is armed)...”
I was wondering the same.
And, yet, that’s another completely different situation. Now you are talking about NEGLECT on the part of the parents, and you are dealing with the actions of a MINOR. Again, a completely different situation. As far as the Columbine killers a case could be made that their parents were perhaps partially at fault for their CHILD’S actions. But, we could exchange ideas on THAT specific case for DAYS, really. (I lived in Denver when that happened, BTW).
Again, the actions of an individual should not condemn family members unless you can prove a conspiracy to commit the crime itself. Or failure to act on a KNOWN situation — like he called a family member told them exactly what his plans were and they didn’t bother calling the police when it could be argued that they KNEW the crime was going to be committed. Which then would mean you are prosecuting an ACCOMPLICE, and their familial relationship means NOTHING...
If someone wants to commit suicide, they could at least have the decency to leave innocent people out of it. This is all so senseless.
I agree. Why would you kill someone you don’t know? They never start with themselves.
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