No motive reported. Sounds like a quiet little town. Weird.
I have a friend who lives there ... the kids have been on lockdown at school and she’s understandably anxious. I think Remington has a factory (?) there or near there, and they’re hoping that the medi-uh doesn’t attack that too.
On edit: The kids are home now.
It is a quiet little town on Route 5. There's a Thruway exit for it. Town named after the Herkimer family. General Nicholas Herkimer was wounded at the Battle of Oriskany (American Revolution), and died of his wounds at his home in Little Falls, NY. The home is a state historic site. Little Falls, Herkimer, and Ilion, where Remington Arms is located, are all within a short distance of each other.
John Brown, of Harper's Ferry notoriety, had a farm in the Adirondacks (near Lake Placid) when he was hung for "treason" by the state (Commonwealth?) of VA.
A presidential assassin (Garfield or McKinley) was once part of the sex cult/commune in Oneida, NY.