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.
We need a new law.
Any public facility where more than 10 people congregate must have armed security (police, guard, or civilian legally carrying) or else they are considered strictly liable for any injuries loss of life due to a terrorist attack.
It has now become urgent to eliminate all guaranteed unarmed victim zones. No more excuses.
we can agree to disagree, that is one of the reasons FR is so great. I understand your Ideas. I am aware of the distinction between firing functions a bit. I have rolled my own ammo for 46 years now and acquired to many weapons to count damn near.....collectors, safe queens, casual target, centerfire handgun and rifle competitions, trap on occasion, hunting and personal protection, (home d. and carry.) most of my own ‘smith work also .45acp refers to .45 Automatic Colt Pistol. that is where the automatic, as in referring to the loading function, meaning comes from as I understood it. the .45acp does not use a clip, it uses a detachable magazine. I do have two older collector mil. rifles that if/when fired do use stripper clips to feed the weapons internal box magazines. a clip feeds the magazine, a magazine feeds the weapon (in most instances, some variations) is an old saying. no matter what you shoot tho, firearms are a heck of a fun hobby. it is a hobby that has never gotten old for me, and helps burn up the retirement hours to boot. stay safe bill.
Yep. Like Clintons and plane crashes.
What was hilarious to watch one year we got a bunch of Africans students come into the factory and one of these guys who spoke real good English was their groupleader and when the Africans began to speak either French or Swazi this group leader swore up and down that they were conspiring to slow the line down. I just had to laugh because when he got in his group all they spoke was Vietnamese.
TALK ABOUT THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK!
“White guy sold him the gun.”
If you are familiar with NYS gun laws, you know that it is impossible for someone to buy a handgun in NYS unless they have a pistol permit. It is very difficult to obtain a pistol permit. For example, you need statements from several residents of your county who have known you for at least five years. Then there are the high fees (to exercise your right) and fingerprinting, background check, training, etc.
If this monster had a permit, the extensive requirements did not protect the innocent lives he took. If he did not have a permit, then the idea of the pistol permit process was a failure. Either way, NYS’s severe laws did not protect the citizens.
Get ready to hear from the anti-gun crowd...
Very sad...
Apparently not. ABC News is reporting that he indeed did NOT speak English, at least not with any fluency. It is alleged that this was the cause of some of his frustration.
well said. even with these events where the victims were basically defenseless there are still anti-firearm people I run into that will hem and haw, change the direction of the discussion etc. when I ask ‘em one simple question....”if your mother or father, wife, hubby etc. was in the line of fire in one of these things would you have hoped that they had firearm, the physical training AND the mindest already in place to defend themselves with that firearm?” most STILL for cryin’ out load say, call 911, wait for the police, try and ‘talk’ to the shooter etc. etc. with their OWN loved ones involved!!! the liberal brainwashing of the people of this country continues on doesn’t it?
I haven't seen a time line yet, but it seems that the police waited a VERY long time before they attempted entry, hours not minutes. Sure, some of the people that were shot in the head probably died instantaneously. But, Iraq and Afghanistan have taught us that immediate medical attention GREATLY increases the patients chances for survival, even for the most severely wounded.
I think it would silly to assume people didn't die while the police were assessing the situation. It will be curious if this is explored by the MSM - or will they just immediately move to the "ban all guns" aspect of the coverage?
A very bad situation, my best wishes are for the families and those traumatized by this horrible incident.
I don’t mean to be offensive, but this always gets to me when this happens because it is somewhat - perhapsnot preventable but certainly controllable.
Now will the msm report it that guns are bad or that he was not stopped because no one else was armed?
I wonder if he possessed a valid permit ........
If anyone can answer please do.
Don’t spread this around, but I heard from a reliable source that inside that bag, he also had tax cuts for the rich.
Some people are just that - dense.
It's April again. Plan on more nutcases "celebrating" the anniversary of previous incidents with their own.
My mother went to high school with him...
I hope somebody warned the LEOs. The TSA thugs always ask if there is anything sharp in my bag before they slide their paws around my carry on and checked luggage. Anything that cuts taxes could be hazardous to a government employee.
"Voong, 41, also known as Linh Phat Voong, was from Johnson City, N.Y."
Linh Phat Vong is recognizable as a Vietnamese name.
"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."
99 times out of 100, Vietnamese are either Catholic or Buddhist.
According to the source the total number of dead and wounded was 39. In all likelihood he missed on occasion, so standard magazines wouldn't have been enough.
Illegal what? This guy was a naturalized US citizen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.