BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - A gunman opened fire on a center where immigrants were taking a citizenship class Friday in downtown Binghamton, killing 13 people before apparently committing suicide. Four people are in critical condition.
The suspected gunman carried identification with the name of 42-year-old Jiverly Voong of nearby Johnson City, N.Y., a law enforcement official said.
But the name is an alias that the man has used in the past, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and was talking on condition of anonymity.
"It obviously was premeditated," said Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski, noting the gunman blocked the rear exit with his car. "He made sure nobody could escape."
Two handguns were found at the scene.
Police did not mention a motive.
The man entered a foyer at the American Civic Association and shot two receptionists, Zikuski said. One receptionist was killed, but another pretended to be dead, then crawled a desk and called 911, he said.
Police responded within two minutes but the gunman quickly moved to a room down a hallway and shot dead 12 people before killing himself, Zikuski said. A man found with ammunition around his neck was believed to be the gunman, he added.
Zikuski said police were still trying to confirm the name of the gunman, but had reason to believe he was "no stranger" to the immigrant services center.
'I heard shooting, very long time'
Zhanar Tokhtabayeva, a 30-year-old from Kazakhstan, said she was in an English class when she heard a shot and her teacher screamed for everyone to go to the storage room.
"I heard the shots, every shot. I heard no screams, just silence, shooting," she said. "I heard shooting, very long time ... and I was thinking, when will this stop? I was thinking that my life was finished."
The gunman fired on a citizenship class, said Rep. Maurice Hinchey, whose district includes Binghamton. "It was in the middle of a test. He just went in and opened fire."
Hinchey also said the gunman had recently been let go from IBM in nearby Johnson City, but a source later said no one by the name Jiverly Voong had recently worked there for IBM.
Twenty-six people hid in a boiler room and 37 people were safely removed from the building, Zikuski said. Four people are in critical condition.
Earlier, the number of dead had been variously put at 12 to 16 by Gov. David Paterson and law enforcement officials.
Most of the people brought out of the building couldn't speak English, the police chief said.
The suspect's body was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office, according to the law enforcement official who reported the man's identification.
Waiting outside a Catholic Charities office where counselors were tending to relatives of victims, Omri Yigal said his wife, Delores, was taking English lessons when the gunman attacked. He had no word on what happened to her.
"At this point, I know the scale of what happened, but I just hope Delores is OK," the Filipino immigrant said. "I haven't got any information. ... The only thing I have right now is hope."
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No motive huh? :-/
The suspected gunman carried identification with the name of 42-year-old Jiverly Voong of nearby Johnson City, N.Y., a law enforcement official said.
But the name is an alias that the man has used in the past, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and was talking on condition of anonymity.
"It obviously was premeditated," said Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski, noting the gunman blocked the rear exit with his car. "He made sure nobody could escape."
Two handguns were found at the scene.
Police did not mention a motive.
The man entered a foyer at the American Civic Association and shot two receptionists, Zikuski said. One receptionist was killed, but another pretended to be dead, then crawled a desk and called 911, he said.
Police responded within two minutes but the gunman quickly moved to a room down a hallway and shot dead 12 people before killing himself, Zikuski said. A man found with ammunition around his neck was believed to be the gunman, he added.
Zikuski said police were still trying to confirm the name of the gunman, but had reason to believe he was "no stranger" to the immigrant services center.
'I heard shooting, very long time'
Zhanar Tokhtabayeva, a 30-year-old from Kazakhstan, said she was in an English class when she heard a shot and her teacher screamed for everyone to go to the storage room.
"I heard the shots, every shot. I heard no screams, just silence, shooting," she said. "I heard shooting, very long time ... and I was thinking, when will this stop? I was thinking that my life was finished."
The gunman fired on a citizenship class, said Rep. Maurice Hinchey, whose district includes Binghamton. "It was in the middle of a test. He just went in and opened fire."
Hinchey also said the gunman had recently been let go from IBM in nearby Johnson City, but a source later said no one by the name Jiverly Voong had recently worked there for IBM.
Twenty-six people hid in a boiler room and 37 people were safely removed from the building, Zikuski said. Four people are in critical condition.
Earlier, the number of dead had been variously put at 12 to 16 by Gov. David Paterson and law enforcement officials.
Most of the people brought out of the building couldn't speak English, the police chief said.
The suspect's body was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office, according to the law enforcement official who reported the man's identification.
Waiting outside a Catholic Charities office where counselors were tending to relatives of victims, Omri Yigal said his wife, Delores, was taking English lessons when the gunman attacked. He had no word on what happened to her.
"At this point, I know the scale of what happened, but I just hope Delores is OK," the Filipino immigrant said. "I haven't got any information. ... The only thing I have right now is hope."
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No motive huh? :-/
