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2009 Binghamton shooting

Coordinates: 42°05′59″N 75°55′02″W / 42.09986°N 75.91716°W / 42.09986; -75.91716
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Binghamton shootings
LocationBinghamton, New York, United States[1]
DateFriday, April 3, 2009
10:30 a.m. (EDT)
Attack type
Mass murder, murder-suicide
Weapons9mm Beretta
Beretta Px4 Storm .45 caliber[2]
Deaths14 (including the perpetrator)[2]
Injured4[3]
PerpetratorJiverly Antares Wong (aka Jiverly Voong)

The Binghamton shootings took place on Friday, April 3, 2009, at the American Civic Association immigration center in Binghamton, New York, United States. At approximately 10:30 a.m. EDT, a naturalized immigrant Jiverly Antares Wong (aka Jiverly Voong)[3][4][5] entered the facility and shot numerous people inside.[6] Fourteen people were ultimately confirmed dead, including the shooter,[2] and four were wounded.[3][7] The injured people, aged from twenty to mid-fifties, were treated for gunshot wounds at Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City and Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital in Binghamton.[8][9]

The American Civic Association in Binghamton provides citizenship, cultural, and language assistance to the local immigrant community.[10]

The shootings

At about 10:30 a.m. EDT, Jiverly Wong barricaded the rear door of the Binghamton American Civic Association building with a vehicle registered in his father's name.[11] He was described as wearing a bullet-proof vest,[12] a bright green nylon jacket, and dark-rimmed glasses.[13]

Wong then entered through the front door firing a number of bullets at those in his path.[11] At 10:30 a.m. Broome County Communications received several 911 calls, and the first police were dispatched to the scene.[14] Two of the Civic Association's receptionists were among the first victims.[15] While one of the receptionists was reported to have been shot through the head and killed,[2][16] the second, shot in the stomach,[16] feigned death and, when the gunman moved on, took cover under a desk and called 911.[17] The receptionist's call was taken by 911 staff at 10:38 a.m.[14] The wounded receptionist, 61-year-old Shirley DeLucia, remained on the line, despite her gunshot wound, for 39 minutes and relayed information until she was rescued.[12][18] She later recounted that the gunman had simply opened fire without saying anything.[16]

The area where the violence was then focused was a classroom just off the main reception areas, where an ESL class was being given to students.[16][17] Everyone who was in that classroom suffered a gunshot wound.[19] Wong entered and opened fire on the students inside, taking some hostage.[13] Police arrived within minutes of the 911 calls; it was later revealed that when Wong heard the sirens, he took his own life by turning one of his guns against himself.[20] In all, Wong fired 99 rounds; 88 from a 9 mm Beretta and 11 from a .45-caliber Beretta.[4][21][22] Police remained at the perimeter of the property, having locked down nearby Binghamton High School and a number of streets in the area.[23] At one point, not knowing if the gunman was alive or dead, police summoned Broome Community College Assistant Professor Tuong Hung Nguyen, who is fluent in Vietnamese, to help communicate with Wong in the event of contact.[24]

SWAT members entered the Civic Center building and began clearing it at 11:13 a.m.—43 minutes after the first call to the police at 10:30 a.m., and 40 minutes after patrol officers first arrived on the scene at 10:33 a.m.[25] At the time of their entry it had not yet been confirmed that Wong had committed suicide, and they proceeded with caution. At approximately 12:00 noon, ten people left the building, with another ten following approximately forty minutes later.[11] Some of the hostages had escaped to a basement, while over a dozen remained hidden in a closet.[23] Thanh Huynh, a high school teacher of Vietnamese background, was asked to translate so the Vietnamese survivors could be interviewed by the police.[26]

Wong was found dead, in the first-floor classroom with his victims, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.[13][17] A number of items were found on Wong's body, including a hunting knife, in the waistband of his pants;[13] a bag of ammunition, which was tied around his neck;[27] and two semi-automatic pistols (a .45-caliber Beretta Px4 Storm and a 9mm Beretta, matching the serial numbers on his New York State pistol license).[4] Also found at the scene were a number of unspent magazines, at least one empty magazine with a 30 round capacity and a firearm laser sight.[22]

By 2:33 p.m., SWAT had completed the clearing of the building and all those inside had been evacuated.[28]

The perpetrator

Mug shot of Wong.

The perpetrator in the American Civic Association shooting was 41-year-old Jiverly Antares Wong (December 8, 1967[29] – April 3, 2009), a resident of Johnson City, New York.[4][30][31] Wong was born into an ethnic Chinese (Hoa) family in South Vietnam.[5][32] He first came to New York in the late 1980s before moving to California. In 1992, Wong was arrested and convicted of a misdemeanor charge of fraud.[33] Wong became an American citizen in November 1995 and sometime after that, left the United States to live in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada.[citation needed] He later returned to the U.S., taking up residence in Inglewood, California in December 1999.[34] While living there, Wong married and later divorced Xiu Ping Jiang; the couple had no children.[35]

Wong worked for almost seven years as a delivery man for a catering company called Kikka Sushi located in Los Angeles. Wong failed to show up to work one day in July 2007, having moved to Binghamton that month,[36] and the company's next contact with him was when Wong called seeking a copy of his W-2 earnings statement in 2008, asking that it be forwarded to a New York State address.[37] Although early reports suggested Wong had recently lost his job at a local IBM plant in nearby Endicott, New York, [2] IBM stated they had no records showing Wong had ever worked for the company.[31] Wong worked at a local Shop-Vac vacuum cleaner plant until it closed in November 2008.[38]

Several sources suggested possible motivations for Wong's actions, including feelings of being "degraded and disrespected" for his poor English language ability, frustration over losing his job, and difficulty in finding work in New York.[31] Wong had also allegedly made comments such as "America sucks" and talked about assassinating the president, to his former co-workers at Shop Vac.[39] Another one of his coworkers stated, "He was quiet -- not a violent person" and "I can't believe he would do something like this".[40]

Package mailed to TV station

Several days after the incident, an envelope was received by Syracuse, New York, TV station News 10 Now.[29] It was dated March 18, 2009, and postmarked April 3, 2009, the day of the shootings.[41] The three stamps used for the postage were a liberty bell and two purple hearts.[29] The package contained a two-page handwritten letter; photos of Wong, seen holding guns while smiling; a gun permit, and Wong's driver's license.[29] In the letter text, various motivational details are apparently revealed, but the bulk of the letter is a rambling diatribe against the police, detailing the author's perceived persecution by them.[42]

Text of letter

Following is the verbatim text of Wong's letter to News 10 Now, which includes numerous errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. The two-page letter was handwritten, using (nearly) all capital letters. Although the letter did not contain a signature, authorities have no reason to believe that it was written by anyone other than Wong.[43]

DATE: MARCH - 18 - 2009

DEAR: NEW TEN NOW

I AM JiVERLY WONG SHOOTING THE PEOPLE

THE FiRST I WANT TO SAY SORRY I KNOW A LiTTLE ENGLiSH I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND ALL OF THiS. OF COURSE YOU NEED TO KNOW WHY I SHOOTING? BECAUSE UNDERCOVER COP GAVE ME A LOT OF ASS DURiNG EiGHTEEN YEARS. I GOT SEVEN YEARS AND EiGHT MONTH DELiVERY TO GROCERY IN THE CALiFORNiA. CAME BACK NEW YORK ON THE AUGUST - 2007. LET TALK ABOUT WHEN I LiVE IN CALiFORNiA. SUCH AS. . .COP USED 24 HOURS THE TECHNiQUE OF ULTRAMODERN AND CAMERA FOR BURN THE CHEMiCAL IN MY HOUSE. FOR SWiTCH THE CHANNEL Ti.Vi. FOR ADJUST THE FAN. FOR MADE ME UNBREATHBLE. FOR MADE ME VOMiT. FOR CONNECT THE MUSiC INTO MY EAR.

UNDERCOVER COP USUAL COiNED SOME NASTY WAS NOT TRUE ABOUT ME AND SPREAD A RUMOUR TO THE RECEiVER AND SOME PEOPLE KNOW ME CONDUCE TOWARD MANY PEOPLE PREJUDiCED AND SELFiSH TO ME . . . COP MADE ME LOST MY JOB . . . COP PUT ME BECAME POOR.

LET TALK ABOUT WHEN I LiVE AT THE 28.BAKER . ST. 2ND FLOOR. JOHNSON CiTY. NEW YORK 13790. IT TERRiBLE WHEN I LiVE THERE SUCH AS. . COP WAiT UNTiL MiDNiGHT WHEN I OFF THE LiGHT AND WENT TO THE BED. COP UNLOCK MY DOOR AND CAME IN TAKE A SiT IN MY ROOM <<COP DiD IT THiRTEEN TiME ON THE YEAR 1994>> ON THE THiRTEEN TiME HAD THREE TiME TOUCH ME WHEN I SLEEPiNG. ONE TiME STOLEN 20 DOLLAR IN MY WALLET ONE TiME USED ELECTRiC GUN SHOOT AT THE BEHiND MY NECK. (THAT TiME I DiD NOT KNOW ENGLiSH)

PLEASE CONTiNUE SECOND PAGE THANK YOU.

(Page 2)

FROM 1990 TO 1995 NEW YORK UNDERCOVER COP TRY TO GET A CAR ACCiDENT WiTH ME. SUCH AS WHEN I DRiViNG ON THE HiGHWAY AND ON THE STREET UNDERCOVER COP SUNDDENLY BRAKE THE CAR STOP IMMEDiATELY AT THE OF FRONT MY CAR . . . COP DiD IT 32 TiME LiKE THAT DURiNG 1990 TO 1995 BUT I NEVER HiT THE CAR.

MANY TiME FROM 1990 TO 1997 AT THE DAY TiME . . . COP EXPLOiT UNKNON ENGLiSH AND WENT TO MY HOUSE KNOCK THE DOOR FOR HARASS AND DOMiNEER. OF COURSE DURiNG THAT TiME COP COiNED SOMETHiNG WAS NOT TRUE ABOUT ME AND SPREAD A RUMOUR NASTY LiKE THE CALiFORNiA COP.

FROM AUGUST - 2007 UNTiL NOW COP GAVE ME NOT TO MUCH ASS ONLY ONE TiME COP LEAVE A MASSAGE IN MY VOiCE MAiL AND SAiD << COME BACK YOUR COUNTRY >> AFTER FIVE MiNUTE I SEND A TEXT MASSAGE TO THEM I SAiD I WILL CALL THE POLiCE AND THEY SEND IT BACK TO ME THEY SAiD THEY ARE THE POLiCE

DEAR. NEW TEN NOW. RiGHT NOW I STiLL GET UNEMPLOMENT BENEFiT OF THE COMPANY SHOP VAC ENDiCOTT. NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR WAS CHEAT AND UNPAiD FROM DECEMBER – 1st - 2008 TO DECEMBER – 28th – 2008. I ALREADY CLAiM WEEKLY BENEFiT FROM THAT DATE. ANY WAY I CAN NOT ACCEPTED MY POOR LiFE. BEFORE I CUT MY POOR LiFE I MUST ONESELF GET A JUDGE JOB FOR MAKE AN IMPARTiAL WiTH UNDERCOVER COP BY AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE WiTH ME GO TO RETURN TO THE DUST OF EARTH.

ALREADY IMPARTiAL NOW. . .COP BRiNG ABOUT THiS SHOOTiNG COP MUST RESPONSiBLE. AND YOU HAVE A NiCE DAY.

Victims

During this incident, a total of thirteen victims were killed and four wounded. A detailed obituary for the victims was published in The New York Times on April 6, 2009.[44]

Killed

  • Parveen Ali, age 26, a migrant from northern Pakistan[45]
  • Almir Olimpio Alves, age 43, a Brazilian Ph.D. in Mathematics and visiting scholar at Binghamton University, attending English classes at the Civic Association[46]
  • Marc Henry Bernard, age 44, a migrant from Haiti[47]
  • Maria Sonia Bernard, age 46, a migrant from Haiti[47]
  • Li Guo, age 47, a visiting scholar from China[47]
  • Lan Ho, age 39, a migrant from Vietnam[47]
  • Layla Khalil, age 53, an Iraqi mother of three children[48]
  • Roberta King, age 72, an English language teacher who was substituting for a vacationing teacher [49]
  • Jiang Ling, age 22, a migrant from China[47]
  • Hong Xiu "Amy" Mao Marsland, age 35, a nail technician who migrated from China in 2006[50]
  • Dolores Yigal, age 53, a recent immigrant from the Philippines[48]
  • Hai Hong Zhong, age 54, a migrant from China[47]
  • Maria Zobniw, age 60, a part-time caseworker at the Civic Association, originally from Ukraine[50]

Wounded

Among the four victims who were wounded:

  • Shirley DeLucia, age 61, the critically wounded Civic Association receptionist who feigned death and then contacted police[51]
  • Long Huynh, age 42,[52] a Vietnamese immigrant whose wife, Lan Ho, was killed. Huynh attempted to shield her with his body,[53] but a bullet that first shattered Huynh's elbow, ricocheted, striking his wife, and killed her. In addition to his elbow, one of Huynh's fingers was shot off, a bullet hit his chest, and another bullet entered his chin and exited through his cheek.[25][52]

Response

  • President Barack Obama referred to the shootings as "senseless violence" and offered sympathies to the victims.[54]
  • New York Governor David Paterson ordered state flags to be flown at half staff on April 8, 2009.[55]
  • Wong's parents, Henry Voong and Mui Thong, issued a statement apologizing for their son's actions.[56]

References

  1. ^ American Civic Association, picture from Google Maps. Retrieved April 3, 2009
  2. ^ a b c d e "Binghamton Rampage Leaves 14 Dead, Police Don't Know Motive". ABC News. April 3, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2009. Cite error: The named reference "abcnews" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c "Police say N.Y. immigrant shooter's act no surprise". Reuters. April 4, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d Seelye, Katharine Q (April 3, 2009). "Shooting in Binghamton, N.Y." New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Siemaszko, Corky (April 6, 2009). "Sister of Binghamton gunman Jiverly Wong says family didn't know he would explode". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  6. ^ "Negotiators Work to Save Victims and Suspects – ABC News". Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  7. ^ "Official: Hostages held after 'multiple' shootings". CNN. April 3, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  8. ^ Candiotti, Susan (April 3, 2009). "Gunman barricaded back door before rampage, police say". cnn.com. Retrieved April 3, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "The Associated Press: Governor confirms fatalities in NY state shooting". Associated Press. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  10. ^ "United Way, Member Agencies: American Civic Association". unitedwaybroome.org. March 3, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2009. [dead link]
  11. ^ a b c McFadden, Robert D. (April 3, 2009). "Hostages Taken in Binghamton, N.Y." The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ a b Rubinkam, Michael (April 4, 2009). "As NY gunman's life unraveled, he took others'". Associated Press. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  13. ^ a b c d Donaldson-Evans, Catherine (April 3, 2009). "Gunman Kills 13, Himself at Upstate New York Immigrant Center". foxnews.com. Retrieved April 3, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ a b "Police paint rescue timeline". WBNG-TV. April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009. [dead link]
  15. ^ "AP Top News at 5:38 p.m." The Associated Press. April 3, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  16. ^ a b c d Branigin, William (April 3, 2009). "Gunman Kills at Least 13 in Binghamton, N.Y." Washington Post. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  17. ^ a b c Kates, William (April 3, 2009). "Police: 14 killed in NY immigrant center shooting". The Associated Press. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  18. ^ William Kates (April 3, 2009). "Gunman blocks N.Y. center's door, kills 13, self". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved April 3, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ Phillips, Matt (April 5, 2009). "Binghamton Shooting Victims Identified". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  20. ^ "As gunman's life fell apart, he took others'". The Associated Press. April 4, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) [dead link]
  21. ^ Green, Peter S. (April 8, 2009). "Binghamton Killer Fired 99 Shots From Two Handguns, Police Say". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  22. ^ a b Hill, John (April 7, 2009). "Police: Shooter unloads 98 rounds in rampage". Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. Retrieved April 7, 2009. [dead link]
  23. ^ a b "Man shoots at least 12, takes 41 hostage in New York". The Irish Times. April 3, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ "IBM denies Hinchey claim that shooter was laid off from IBM". Press Connect. April 3, 2009.
  25. ^ a b Rubinkam, Michael (April 6, 2009). "Questions remain in aftermath of NY shootings". google.com/hostednews. Associated Press. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  26. ^ Fernandez, Manny (April 3, 2009). "In a Town With Few Immigrants, an Unlikely Horror". New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  27. ^ Muskal, Michael (April 3, 2009). "Binghamton, N.Y., gunman kills 13". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  28. ^ Baker, Robert A. (April 3, 2009). "Binghamton in shock as police investigate mass murder". The Post-Standard. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
  29. ^ a b c d Thompson, Carolyn (April 6, 2009). "Killer Complained of 'Poor Life' in Letter". AOL News. Associated Press. Retrieved April 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Text "dl1" ignored (help); Text "htmlws-main" ignored (help); Text "http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fbinghamton-shooting%2F414210" ignored (help); Text "link4" ignored (help) [dead link]
  30. ^ "NY Gunman Angry Over Poor English Skills, Job Loss". ABC News. April 4, 2009.
  31. ^ a b c Kates, William (April 4, 2009). "NY gunman angry over poor English skills, job loss". Associated Press. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  32. ^ As gunman's life fell apart, he took others', Associated Press, April 4, 2009
  33. ^ Maskaly, Michelle (April 5, 2009). "Families Bury Binghamton, N.Y. Shooting Victims; New Details Emerge About Gunman". foxnews.com. Retrieved April 5, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ Families Bury Binghamton, N.Y. Shooting Victims; New Details Emerge About Gunman, Fox News
  35. ^ No way police could have saved Jiverly Wong's 13 Binghamton victims, officials say, New York Daily News, April 5, 2009
  36. ^ "NY gunman fired 98 shots in about a minute, police chief says". CNN.com. April 8, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  37. ^ Baum, Geraldine (April 3, 2009). "Shootings in Binghamton, N.Y., 'truly an American tragedy'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 4, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) [dead link]
  38. ^ Hill, John (April 5, 2009). "Community looks for answers". stargazette.com. Retrieved April 7, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) [dead link]
  39. ^ Kemp, Joe (April 4, 2009). "Who is Jiverly Voong aka Jiverly Wong? Conflicting picture of Binghamton gunman emerges". nydailynews.com. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  40. ^ "'No yelling, just silence, shooting.' a witness says'". CNN. April 4, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  41. ^ "READ IT: Transcript of letter purportedly sent by NY gunman". orlandosentinel.com. Associated Press. April 6, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  42. ^ Jiverly Wong. "Image of Wong's actual letter to News 10 Now" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  43. ^ Donaldson-Evans, Catherine (April 7, 2009). "Binghamton Police Don't Doubt Chilling Letter Was Written by Immigration Center Gunman". FOXNews. Retrieved April 10, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  44. ^ Fernandez, Manny (April 5, 2009). "Binghamton Victims Shared a Dream of Living Better Lives". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  45. ^ "Two victims will be buried today". pressconnects.com. April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2009. [dead link]
  46. ^ Estadao "Professor brasileiro é um dos 14 mortos no massacre de NY". estadao.com. April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2009. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  47. ^ a b c d e f "Police defend response to Binghamton mass shooting". cnn.com. April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  48. ^ a b Harnandez, Javier C (April 5, 2009). "Gunman had lost job, felt "degraded"". New York Times. Retrieved April 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  49. ^ "Teacher at Civic Association among dead". Press & Sun-Bulletin. April 4, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2009.
  50. ^ a b Lysiak, Matt (April 5, 2009). "Binghamton massacre victim brought joy to those around her, pal recalls". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  51. ^ Phillips, Matt (April 4, 2009). "Binghamton Shooting Victims Identified". Associated Press. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  52. ^ a b Parent, Marie-Joelle (April 6, 2009). "Family shattered by Binghamton massacre". winnipegsun.com. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  53. ^ Kemp, Joe (April 6, 2009). "Survivor of Binghamton massacre tried in vain to save his wife". nydailynews.com. Retrieved April 8, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  54. ^ Associated Press (April 3, 2009). "Obama calls Binghamton shooting act of 'senseless violence'". Syracuse.com. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  55. ^ WBNG News (April 6, 2009). "Governor Paterson Directs flags to be flown at half staff for Binghamton Tragedy Victims". Retrieved April 18, 2009. [dead link]
  56. ^ syracuse.com (April 14, 2009). "Parents of Jiverly Wong apologize for shooting at immigration center in Binghamton, NY". Retrieved April 18, 2009.
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