Gunman kills self, 12 others in upsate New York

[Guest gaurav_indian]

Gunman kills self, 12 others in upsate New York

When the shoot out and the hostage drama in Binghamton, New York that began at 10:30 am on Friday and ended at 2:40 pm, at least 13 people lost their lives. The gunman, believed to be a Vietnamese killed himself. A dozen were injured. The shooter has identification saying he was 42-year-old Jiverly Voong. When the events began to unfold at the American Civic Center in Binghamton, 175 miles north of New York there were more than 40 people inside as hostages, 15 in a closet and 26 in the boiler room. By noon some of them were released. The gunman was between 5-feet 8-inches and 6 feet tall, wearing a bright green nylon jacket and dark-rimmed glasses. The services of professor who knows Vietnamese were used to speak with the shooter. One official said the gunman entered the building through the front while firing. He had already blocked the back door with his car. According to reports, a 1993 Toyota [images] at the scene was registered to Henry Voong of Johnson City. One woman who worked as a secretary at the Center was reportedly shot in the stomach. Binghamton Mayor Matthew Ryan said the shooter had a high-powered rifle. Police shut down streets and the Federal Bureau of Investigation sent a team. Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said no one taken from the building is a suspect, including two men who were removed in plastic handcuffs. A report of a man fleeing the building was false, Zikuski said. A student from Binghamton University was being treated at the emergency room at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton. Most of the students left the university Friday morning as the university is closed for the Easter holidays. Binghamton University, in nearby Vestal, is part of the State University of New York and is a major destination of Indian students. The American Civic Association helps immigrants and refugees with immigration and personal counseling, resettlement, citizenship, family reunification and translators. It also intervenes with emergencies, including fighting, hunger and homelessness. The ACA had citizenship classes scheduled for Friday. The incident has given another opportunity for those who oppose immigrants. The readers comments in the local media were full of comments against the immigrants. In a statement New York Governor David Paterson said it was a tragic day for New York. He said he had directed state police to assist the Binghamton Police Department. "I speak for all of New York when I offer my prayers for the victims and families of this tragedy," Paterson said.

http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/apr/03/hostage-situation-at-new-york-immigration-centre.htm

[gs]

Thanks to lax gun laws!

[EnterTheVoid]

Thanks to lax gun laws!

not quite ************************************************************************************* Taliban says it was behind US attack Pakistan's top Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud has claimed responsibility for the shootings at an US immigration services centre in New York state that killed 13 people. "I accept the responsibility. They were my men," Mehsud told reporters in Peshawar on phone from some undisclosed location. A lone gunman took more than 40 immigrants hostage on Friday when they were taking a citizenship class at the American Civic Association building in Binghamton, located around 225km northwest of New York city. The attacker, later identified as Vietnamese immigrant Jiverly Wong, 42, killed 13 people before shooting himself in the head. Four more people were also critically wounded. Mehsud said the massacre was in revenge for the continued US drone attacks on Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The seven semi-autonomous tribal districts are known to serve as sanctuaries for al-Qaeda and Taliban rebels. The militant commander added that his men would hit US targets until Washington halted the missile strikes. Pakistan's private Aaj news channel quoted Mehsud as saying that his group was ready for and even deadlier attack, apparently on US soil. Mehsud's claim came five days after he made a similar statement about three recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including an assault on a police training academy near the eastern city of Lahore on Monday, which killed seven recruits and a civilian. In Tuesday's statement, the Taliban leader had also threatened future attacks inside the US. ************************************************************************************ http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=797523

[pan_walla]

The gun man did not sound muslim to me so maybe the taliban guy is just mouthing off?

[Lurker]

As tragic as it is, what would be even more unfortunate is that almost all of the victims were immigrants. It is fair to say that they would have relatives overseas who would have no idea on what could have possibly happened to their loved one in a remote land.