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.
Don't think you do. I deal with foreigners all the time in regards to fraud....It's disgusting that many of them come here and only cause more harm and bring more fraud into the system... It seems to be a way of life for most of them, and it's as if they are all counseled on how to screw our system.
Quite understandable.
Heading to super shortly and then an evening with Pastor Julia Coleman from Phoenix on one of her regular trips up here.
You are correct, however....
Herein lies the greatest tool of the gun grabbers. Firearm nomenclature is technical, and foreign to anybody who is unfamiliar with guns. For instance: When a rifle cannot be referred to as an "assault weapon", then the term "high powered rifle" is used instead. What exactly is a "low powered rifle" anyway?
Look, my prayers and thoughts go out to the victims and their families, but the fact remains: To the MSM, this story is political, not sympathetic. Even "Joey Plugs" couldn't resist the urge to politicize this when he said "We've got to figure out a way to deal with this terrible, terrible violence" at an Al Sharpton sponsored event today. One can only wonder what Biden had in mind when he said that.
But I digress...
"Semi-automatic" means one trigger pull = one bullet.
"Automatic" means one trigger pull = many bullets.
"Assault weapon" means any weapon used to assail one's victim, be it a screwdriver, a 5 Lb. bag of potatoes, or (if your a liberal) EVERY gun not in the hands of "officials".
That looked like Knob Creek!
Yes, but as you said — the ones YOU see in your work are the criminals among them... If I was a policeman for example and all I dealt with was criminals all day long, after a while (especially if my beat was in a bad area) I might find myself thinking ALL of the people were criminals... That’s all...
If you only deal with the ones committing fraud, then you are not in contact with those who are hard-working, and really trying to make it here. That’s all I’m saying... And, I DID see exactly what you are describing when I lived and worked in West Denver — about the “way of life” like EVERYTHING was geared towards getting something for nothing, etc....
I would just caution you, as I have to remind myself at times, that individuals’ actions should NOT be taken to apply to an entire group of people...
Dreary weather? Could 'cabin fever' send people like this over the edge? Hmmm...
“Actually we WILL see an increase in violence, suicide/murders, shootings and etc as people start to lose their jobs, lose their homes and when they lose everything, they will lose it......... During the US Great Depression, average unemployment was 25 percent.”
Yeah - the mass shootings during the Great Depression was terrible! /s.
Obviously it is MORE than just the economy, although that is perhaps the kicker for many of these folks. For whatever reason, I think more people are just either crazy or evil. At least during the Depression it was primarily bank robbers! (Glorified at that!) And the suicidal folks had the decency not to take others with them. (Unless someone by chance was below their 20th story window on Wall Street).
Thanks, born here on the South side, now live in Endwell...
I’m just thankful the shooter wasn’t a white guy. It shouldn’t matter, but you know what the media would have done with a heavily-armed *white* shooter going through an immigration center. By the time they were done, the lib media would be equating the shooter with Bush.
“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.”
In the country for 28 years and is still going to language classes?
Maybe he was studying Spanish to help his employment opportunities.
Hatred and insanity.
LOL!!!
The ONLY defense for society against this kind of thing (which is becoming all too frequent) is as many armed citizens as are capable, which is among the reasons our founders included the second amendment. We NEED the congress to formally recognize the right of capable Americans to carry concealed firearms and to nullify all those insipid “gun control” laws across the country and make ours a safer nation again.
It sure seems that there have been a lot of these mass killing lately. Like, what, 4 since Obama took office. Maybe I am joining the “black Helicopter” crowd, but maybe, now, just maybe, these people have been put up to this somehow.
I dont know. I hope to God that I am wrong. But deep down inside, can anyone rule this out? Look at how Obama is changing the face of America. It less than 100 Days yet.
As for high capacity magazines I am only familar with Glock that makes an extra long magazine for the Glock 17. Also 9mm is not high powered and many would consider it a "chick" gun.
Automatic means hold the trigger down and the firearm continues shooting until all bullets are spent.
Semi auto means squeeze the trigger for each round.
Single shot means reload after every shot.
I have never heard of your description meaning what you believe it to, although I have seen numerous auto loading firearms.
A revolver is auto loading, just not with a flat detachable clip.
You letting Lee Boyd Malvo’s family come over and visit Disneyworld, are you? Going to roll out the red carpet for Seung-Hui Cho’s kinfolk come over from Korea? That’s mighty neighborly of you, neighbor. It’s a tough one.
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