POLICE IN the small town of Binghamton in upstate New York were last night trying to establish why a lone gunman killed 13 people and wounded five at an immigrant advice centre before shooting himself dead.
The suspected gunman carried identification with the name of Jiverly Voong (42) of nearby Johnson City, New York, according to a police officer. The gunman barricaded the back door of the American Civic Association before entering the front door with a high-powered rifle. A police Swat team, FBI hostage negotiators and other law enforcement officers surrounded the building for hours while dozens of people remained inside, apparently held hostage by the gunman.
Governor David Patterson said it was “a tragic day for New York” as he confirmed that at least a dozen people had died. “While the situation is still developing and details are being gathered, we do know that a gunman entered the American Civic Association in Binghamton this morning and that there are fatalities.
“We are monitoring the situation, and I have directed the state police to assist the Binghamton police department in any way they can.”
The incident began at about 10.30am local time, when the gunman walked into the centre, where a citizenship class was scheduled for yesterday. The American Civic Association helps immigrants and refugees, offering personal counselling, resettlement, citizenship and reunification, and providing interpreters and translators.
Eyewitnesses said the gunman started shooting immediately but the siege continued for hours, with the first group of 10 survivors leaving the building about noon and a further group emerging about 40 minutes later.
Two people were led from the building in handcuffs during the siege, but police suggested later that they were not suspects and that the gunman had acted alone. Three people were still being treated for gunshot wounds at a Binghamton hospital last night and doctors said one was in critical condition.
