by William M. Reilly, Wang Xiangjiang and Zhou Xiaozheng
NEW YORK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Fourteen people, including a suspected gunman, were killed and at least four others wounded in a shooting rampage that broke out in Binghamton of the U.S. state of New York on Friday morning, local authorities said in the afternoon.
The gunman entered the building of the American Civic Association (ACA), a non-governmental agency that provides services for immigrants and refugees, and started shooting at the people inside, Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said at a press conference held nearly seven hours after the attack.
Police investigate at the shooting scene outside the American Civic Center in Binghampton, New York, April 3, 2009. A gunman killed at least 14 people at American Civic Center, an immigration services center in Binghamton, after walking in and randomly opening fire on people in the center on Friday. (Xinhua/Yu Jun) Photo Gallery>>>
Fourteen people were "confirmed dead" in the shooting, and the police believed that the suspected gunman was among them, Zikuski said, adding that 37 people survived the massacre, including four wounded who are "in critical condition."
Although some media reports said that the gunman was a 42-year-old man from New York state, possibly a Vietnamese who killed himself after committing the shooting, Zikuski refused to identify the suspect at the press conference, saying that the police were not 100 percent sure about it.
Journalists wait near the shooting scene of the American Civic Center in Binghampton, New York, April 3, 2009. (Xinhua/Yu Jun) Photo Gallery>>>
The police now believe that the suspect should be the one who rented a car and used it to block the back exit of the building, but a lot of work still needs to be done before a final identification, explained the police chief.
Initial investigation showed that the suspect had used handgun in the shooting, as two handguns were recovered at the scene.
A woman first reported the shooting to the police by calling 911 at 10:31 a.m., but she is now in surgery and could not provide any further details, the police said.
The American Civic Center is sealed off by police in Binghampton, New York, April 3, 2009. (Xinhua/Yu Jun) Photo Gallery>>>
Initial media reports said there was also a hostage situation in the building, with the gunman holding hostage as many as 20 to 40 people. But the local authorities didn't mention it at the press conference.
According to the Chinese Consulate-general in New York, a Chinese student was among those wounded in the shooting.
The male student, who was taking a language course in the ACA building, suffered two gunshot wounds and is now in hospital with no danger of life, consulate sources told Xinhua, declining to give any further details.
At the same press conference, New York State Governor David Paterson condemned the shooting as a "senseless act of violence." In an earlier statement, he called Friday "a tragic day" for the state.
In a statement on behalf of himself and first lady Michelle, U.S. President Barack Obama, currently on a European tour following the London G20 summit, said that he was "shocked and deeply saddened" to learn the Binghamton shooting.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and the people of Binghamton," he said in the statement. "We don't yet know all the facts, but my administration is actively monitoring the situation and the vice president is in touch with governor David Paterson and local officials to track development."
Upon hearing news about the attack, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who was in New York City some 189 miles southeast of Binghamton, said "It's time that we've got to figure a way to deal with this senseless, senseless violence."
It was the third shooting incident since last weekend in the United States.
A gunman waged a shooting spree at a nursing home in Carthage, North Carolina on Sunday morning, killing eight and injuring three others. Another case in a townhouse in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday night left six dead, including two children.
With gun control a highly controversial topic nationwide, the United States sees about 30,000 people get killed annually in gun-related violence.
NEW YORK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- A lone gunman armed with two handguns on Friday killed 14 people and critically wounded four more in a rampage through an immigration services center in the upstate town of Binghamton, in the U.S. state of New York, police said.
Police chief Joseph Zikuski told reporters at a late afternoon news conference 37 other people in the single story building escaped harm, many of them hiding in a barricaded boiler room of the American Civic Association on Front Street and "most of them could not speak English." Full story
WASHINGTON, April 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday that he was shocked and saddened by a shooting in an immigration office in Binghamton, New York State killing 13 persons, according to the White House.
"Michelle and I were shocked and deeply saddened to learn about the act of senseless violence in Binghamton, New York today," said the president who is continuing his tour in Europe.Full story
NEW YORK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. State of New York Governor David Paterson said on Friday afternoon that 12 or 13 people were killed in the shooting and hostage taking incident in the city of Binghamton earlier in the day.
In a live-televised reaction to the incident, Paterson said that "lives have been lost" in what he called a "brutal attack against innocent people," adding that he believes 12 or 13 people were already confirmed dead.Full story
NEW YORK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese student was among those injured in Friday's shooting in Binghamton, the U.S. state of New York, sources with the Chinese Consulate-general in New York said.
The male student, who was taking a language course in the American Civic Association building on Friday morning, suffered two gunshot wounds but is now in stable condition with no danger of life, the sources said, declining to give any further details.Full story
NEW YORK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were shot and dozens more taken hostage in Binghamton, the U.S. state of New York on Friday, local media reported.
The attack occurred on Friday morning in the American Civic Association in Binghamton, some 189 miles northwest of New York City, when a gunman went into the building and started shooting, local police was quoted as saying by WBNG News. Full story
