4 volunteer firefighters shot, 2 dead, after responding to blaze
At least two firefighters were killed and two others were wounded after arriving at the scene of a fire early Monday morning in Webster, N.Y. WHEC-TV's Amanda Ciavarri reports.
By Jason White, NBC News
Four volunteer firefighters were shot -- two fatally -- as they responded to a blaze early Monday at a small cluster of homes along Lake Ontario in Webster, N.Y.
The firefighters were shot as they exited their vehicles after being called to the scene just before 6 a.m. ET, police and fire officials said.
It appears they were the victims of a "trap," police said.
People who get up in the middle of the night to fight fires, they dont expected to get shot and killed," said Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering, his voice breaking at times.
One firefighter was able to flee from the shooter under his own power. The others were pinned down on a narrow strip of land between Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay until a SWAT team arrived.
The apparent shooter was pursued by police and is dead from a gunshot wound, Pickering said. It is unclear if the wound was self-inflicteThe two injured firefighters are being treated for "significant injuries," according to Dr. Nicole Stassen, a surgeon at the University of Rochester Medical Center. But she said they are both awake and alert, and not on ventilatorsAn off-duty police officer in the area also received a shrapnel wound. His condition is unclear at this time.
After the shooting, the fire grew to engulf at four homes and one motor vehicle. Another four homes were damaged. These firemen are part of our family. You go into a fire with these guys. To see them go down with something like this is totally unexpected. We are in shock, Billy Gross, fire commissioner for West Webster, told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
-- Edited by Uke on Monday 24th of December 2012 10:55:31 AM
N.Y. man who shot dead 2 firefighters killed grandmother in 1980
By Greg Botelho, CNN
updated 6:52 PM EST, Mon December 24, 2012
William Spengler killed his grandmother with a hammer in 1980.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
William Spengler killed his grandmother with a hammer in 1980
He spent about 18 years in prison and eight more on supervised parole
Law enforcement authorities don't know of any problems since his release
On Monday, Spengler, 62, set a fire then ambushed and killed two firefighters
(CNN) -- William Spengler had killed before.
The first time, presumably, was in 1980. Then about 40 years old, Spengler struck his grandmother with a hammer. A year later, he was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in her death.
Flash forward to before dawn Monday, in Webster, New York, a town of about 43,000 people located 10 miles east of Rochester. That's when and where, Police Chief Gerald Pickering said, Spengler presumably set his and his sister's home ablaze, lugged weapons up a hill, then waited.
When local firefighters arrived at the scene, Spengler fired and killed again.
Authorities haven't given a motive for the latest violence, which left two firefighters dead and two other firefighters and an off-duty police officer from a nearby town wounded.
And they can't ask the shooter, who was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head around 11 a.m., about six hours after first calls about the fire came in.
But the Webster police chief has his own idea about why this happened.
"Just looking at the history, obviously this is an individual who had a lot of problems, to kill his grandmother," Pickering said. "And I'm sure there were ... mental health issues involved."
After his 1981 manslaughter conviction, Spengler was given an indeterminate sentence, said Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley.
He ended up spending nearly 18 years behind bars until his release in 1998. Through 2006, Spengler was on supervised parole, during which time Doorley said she wasn't aware of any events suggesting he had gotten into further trouble.
Nor, Pickering said, had police had any "contact with him criminally" in the recent past.
Until Monday.
By then, Spengler was living in a home in Webster, likely with his sister, who was still unaccounted for Monday afternoon. Their mother had died sometime in the past year, according to Pickering.
He'd accumulated weapons, bringing "several different types" with him before the shootings, the police chief said. It is not known how he obtained these firearms, but ex-felons are not allowed to possess weapons.
But because Spengler had them, two families are in mourning. Many of his former neighbors are homeless, because having a gunman on the loose slowed fire crews' efforts to corral a blaze that eventually destroyed seven homes.
"It's Christmas Eve. This is a day where people are getting together to celebrate a holiday," Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy told reporters in Webster. "This tragedy is just unthinkable and unspeakable."
Snippy said
3:12 AM, 12/25/12
Sister's still missing?
Radio just said seven homes burned.
What a piece of (dead) fucking shit.
Uke said
7:03 AM, 12/25/12
Long held, deep grudge, simmering away, in some dark corner of his mind, "I'll get those bastards...just you wait!" Nobody could've seen it coming. Volunteers from the local community. Guys everybody knows... Guys ya see at the tavern, PTA meetings, at softball games, at the supermarket, at high school football games... Just local yokels!
Why is Kersmuss such a deadly time of year? I honestly can't remember growing up, and thinking about death, and destruction, and crazies run amok from Thanksgiving ta New Years...
Yeah, guess I'm old, and my memories go way back! No denying that. But what the hell's happened to us lately?
The Krink said
10:31 AM, 12/26/12
Another man-can. This programming obviously comes from the "darkest" of teachers. The shooting the fireman responding to flaming houses is like beyond comprehension. Would expect the man-can thing to keep on rolling since there may be 5000 or more of them out there just ready to be activated to do the next uncomprehensible massacre.
4 volunteer firefighters shot, 2 dead, after responding to blaze
At least two firefighters were killed and two others were wounded after arriving at the scene of a fire early Monday morning in Webster, N.Y. WHEC-TV's Amanda Ciavarri reports.
Four volunteer firefighters were shot -- two fatally -- as they responded to a blaze early Monday at a small cluster of homes along Lake Ontario in Webster, N.Y.
The firefighters were shot as they exited their vehicles after being called to the scene just before 6 a.m. ET, police and fire officials said.
It appears they were the victims of a "trap," police said.
People who get up in the middle of the night to fight fires, they dont expected to get shot and killed," said Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering, his voice breaking at times.
One firefighter was able to flee from the shooter under his own power. The others were pinned down on a narrow strip of land between Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay until a SWAT team arrived.
-- Edited by Uke on Monday 24th of December 2012 10:55:31 AM
A thin strip of land....
http://goo.gl/maps/L0OuJ
N.Y. man who shot dead 2 firefighters killed grandmother in 1980
(CNN) -- William Spengler had killed before.
The first time, presumably, was in 1980. Then about 40 years old, Spengler struck his grandmother with a hammer. A year later, he was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in her death.
Flash forward to before dawn Monday, in Webster, New York, a town of about 43,000 people located 10 miles east of Rochester. That's when and where, Police Chief Gerald Pickering said, Spengler presumably set his and his sister's home ablaze, lugged weapons up a hill, then waited.
When local firefighters arrived at the scene, Spengler fired and killed again.
'Chaos': Gunman ambushes, kills 2 firefighters
Authorities haven't given a motive for the latest violence, which left two firefighters dead and two other firefighters and an off-duty police officer from a nearby town wounded.
And they can't ask the shooter, who was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head around 11 a.m., about six hours after first calls about the fire came in.
But the Webster police chief has his own idea about why this happened.
"Just looking at the history, obviously this is an individual who had a lot of problems, to kill his grandmother," Pickering said. "And I'm sure there were ... mental health issues involved."
After his 1981 manslaughter conviction, Spengler was given an indeterminate sentence, said Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley.
He ended up spending nearly 18 years behind bars until his release in 1998. Through 2006, Spengler was on supervised parole, during which time Doorley said she wasn't aware of any events suggesting he had gotten into further trouble.
Nor, Pickering said, had police had any "contact with him criminally" in the recent past.
Until Monday.
By then, Spengler was living in a home in Webster, likely with his sister, who was still unaccounted for Monday afternoon. Their mother had died sometime in the past year, according to Pickering.
He'd accumulated weapons, bringing "several different types" with him before the shootings, the police chief said. It is not known how he obtained these firearms, but ex-felons are not allowed to possess weapons.
But because Spengler had them, two families are in mourning. Many of his former neighbors are homeless, because having a gunman on the loose slowed fire crews' efforts to corral a blaze that eventually destroyed seven homes.
"It's Christmas Eve. This is a day where people are getting together to celebrate a holiday," Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy told reporters in Webster. "This tragedy is just unthinkable and unspeakable."
Radio just said seven homes burned.
What a piece of (dead) fucking shit.
Why is Kersmuss such a deadly time of year? I honestly can't remember growing up, and thinking about death, and destruction, and crazies run amok from Thanksgiving ta New Years...
Yeah, guess I'm old, and my memories go way back! No denying that. But what the hell's happened to us lately?
"darkest" of teachers. The shooting the fireman responding to
flaming houses is like beyond comprehension. Would expect
the man-can thing to keep on rolling since there may be 5000
or more of them out there just ready to be activated to do the
next uncomprehensible massacre.