Sadly, I seem to be using this graphic quite frequently since ZeroHussein took over our White House...
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.
I stand corrected must be a very few left working at IBM
3 work groups at IBM Endicott are at risk for layoffs.
That’s according to Lee Conrad from the employee advocate group, Alliance at IBM.
Big Blue plans to layoff 5-thousand U.S. Employees today.
IBM headquarters has not responded to calls about whether there are cuts at the Endicott site.
Conrad says Alliance has been told layoffs are taking place in Global Business Services, Systems Technology Group, and Global Technology Services.
“We are hearing that these jobs will be eliminated here in the United States and the work shifted to India, China, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.” says Conrad.
Conrad says he’s outraged to see IBM shipping jobs overseas.
The company employs about 400-thousand workers worldwide.
About 1200 here in Endicott.
Again, IBM has not commented on any local layoffs.
We must immediately enact legislation to outlaw flashlights.
And bags. Don't forget the bags.
I think this is the reason too.....
Maybe it was the shooter who lived in Johnson City and it’s the reporter who can’t write. Has been known to happen. /sarc
Could also be Hmong, and have come here in just the last few years. Just speculation here, too.
“We can be sure that Obama and the Democrats will use this — and the other recent high-profile events — as an excuse for more draconian “gun control” measures.”
Oh yes they will. Why “waste a crisis” huh? Blood Dancers.
Sadly, I seem to be using this graphic quite frequently since ZeroHussein took over our White House...
That was my first thought when I heard Gov Paterson talking about the Alabama and Oakland shootings. The gun grabbers are going to use these shootings to increase their power over us even more.
Not sure how he could “come here in just the last few years” and be a citizen for 28 years. Did the Hmong get citizenship even though they did not live in US?
Is April the King of shootings month or what. All these bad shootings always happen in April. Is it the dreary weather, Patriot’s Day on the 19th, Hitler’s birthday, Earth Day, what?
Just heard on ABC Nightly Noise... the shooter used “two automatic pistols”
He probably held a menial job at IBM. The immigrants he shot were his competition. He may have had a learning problem since he never learned the language.
The irony of somebody who came here 28 years ago killing new immigrants I bet won't receive coverage.
Oops. Missed that part. Nevermind. :-)
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. Starting in Jan 2009 we lost approx 650,000 jobs per month till Mar 2009, assuming their is no updates to the figures. Today the Jan 2009 figures were updated from 690,000 to 740,000. Thus in Apr 2009, the 650,000 number for Feb 2009 could be updated higher. In other words the US unemployment numbers are accelerating. Today we are at 8.5 percent, but it does not include people who gave up and people who want full time hours but are forced to cut back to part time hours. If they are included (they were included during the Great Depression calculations), our unemployment rate is really at 15 percent. Seven US states have unemployment rates of 10+ percent, and using the Depression method of calculating unemployment they are at 18 to 19 percent unemployment. During the US Great Depression, average unemployment was 25 percent.
You only get a chance a couple of time in your career to film the expression on a family members face as they are delivered a death notice.
I've seen it done before.
The media are slime. (If I really said what I feel Jim would ban me for life)
As if on cue, ABC news is breathlessly discussing the “mass shooting epidemic”.
I wonder why these homicidal nutbars never try this at a police station? Wait Wait! They have guns too!
Too bad so many people have nothing else to fall back on when their fancy house and big screen TV goes bye bye.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Serling
Tragic . . . but this mentally distressed Binghamtonian turned his pain into good. As a former Pastor of mine used to say, your situations in life either make you bitter or better.
Any guess that this was another SSRI story ?shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach Adonai
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