Up to 14 feared dead in US shooting

Apr 3 2009

A gunman opened fire on a room where immigrants were taking a citizenship exam in the New York city of Binghamton, killing as many as 13 people before committing suicide, officials said.

Governor David Paterson said at a news conference that 12 or 13 people had been killed.

The suspected gunman carried identification with the name of 42-year-old Jiverly Voong of nearby Johnson City, New York, a law enforcement official said.

His body was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office of the American Civic Association building in the city centre, said the official.

The gunman barricaded the rear door of the building with his car before entering through the front door, firing his weapon, the official said.

Vice President Joe Biden, speaking at an event in New York, told the crowd that someone entered a room where an examination was being given for immigrants to become US citizens, then shot and killed 12 or 13 people.

Two women and a man suffering gunshot wounds were being treated at Wilson Medical Centre in Johnson City, said hospital spokeswoman Christina Boyd. One was stable, one was serious and one was critical. Their ages ranged from 20s to 50s, she said.

Linda Miller, a spokeswoman at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, said a student from Binghamton University was being treated there.

The shooting occurred in a mixed neighbourhood of homes and small businesses in the centre of Binghamton, a city of about 47,000 located 140 miles northwest of New York City.

In Baden-Baden, Germany, President Barack Obama said he was shocked and saddened by the shooting, calling it an "act of senseless violence". The president said he and his wife, Michelle, were praying for the victims, their families and the people of Binghamton.