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发帖数: 9344 | 1 CNN -- A man convicted of killing his grandmother decades ago allegedly
ambushed firefighters on Monday, fatally shooting two of them as they
arrived to battle a blaze in upstate New York, police said.
Two other firefighters were wounded in the attack in the Rochester-area town
of Webster. Investigators believe the suspect, William Spengler, 62,
deliberately lured them to a house fire, Webster Police Chief Gerald
Pickering said.
Police: Gunman set trap for firefighters
Authorities do not know how Spengler, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot
wound at the scene, obtained the weapon he used in Monday's shooting or why
he opened fire, Pickering told reporters.
Spengler was convicted in 1981 of first-degree manslaughter in the death of
his grandmother and had been released on supervised parole, Pickering said.
"It is possible that a sister of Mr. Spengler is unaccounted for," Pickering
said, adding that her last known address was at the residence where the
shooting occurred.
For more than three hours on Monday, the threat of gunfire stopped
firefighters from battling the blaze and forced police SWAT teams to
evacuate 33 people in the neighborhood of small waterfront homes.
Seven houses were destroyed in the fire and it was unclear if everyone had
been evacuated safely.
"I'm hoping that everyone was able to escape from the inferno," Pickering
said. "Those houses were close together."
Monday's shooting illustrated the need to address gun control and mental
health issues, Pickering said.
"For the last 20 years we have been turning people loose and de-
institutionalizing people, and I think we've swung too far," Pickering said.
"I think there are still people that need to be in institutions that are a
danger to themselves or others. And this is a classic example."
Pickering said two firefighters died at the scene. The two injured
firefighters were hospitalized in intensive care, officials said. An off-
duty police officer passing by the area also suffered shrapnel wounds,
Pickering said.
Police have identified one of the firefighters killed as Lt. Mike
Chiapperini.
Police have identified one of the firefighters killed as Lt. Mike
Chiapperini.
"It does appear that it was a trap that was set," said Pickering, who choked
back tears as he talked about the firefighters who were killed. One of them
, Lt. Michael Chiapperini, was also a police lieutenant with about 20 years
on the force, he said.
"We are a safe community, and to have tragedy befall us like this is just
tremendous. ... You know, these people get up in the middle of the night to
go put out fire," he said. "They don't expect to be shot and killed."
The shooting occurred amid a renewed gun control debate after the December
14 elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 26 people
, most of them children. The gunman in that case also apparently killed his
mother and himself.
The head of a lobbying group that represents first responders said the
Monday shooting was "senseless and cruel."
"The firefighters who responded today were performing a selfless, meaningful
service to their community, unaware that a cold-hearted maniac was planning
to ambush them and take their lives," said Harold Schaitberger, general
president of the Washington-based International Association of Fire Fighters
. "Coming on the heels of the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, and
on Christmas Eve, this shooting is even harder to comprehend."
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo described the Webster shooting as "horrific." And
the state's attorney general called it a "senseless tragedy"
"As this investigation unfolds, we stand with our partners in law
enforcement to ensure that lethal weapons are out of the hands of dangerous
people, so that brave New Yorkers who risk their lives every day to protect
us are not exposed to additional danger," Attorney General Eric T.
Schneiderman said in a statement.
Firefighters first arrived at the Webster fire before 6 a.m., said Rob
Boutillier, the town's fire marshal.
One firefighter escaped from the scene in his own vehicle about an hour
after he was shot and was taken to a hospital by an ambulance from another
location, Boutillier said. Another wounded firefighter was conscious and
speaking when he was removed from the scene, he said.
The wounded firefighters were in intensive care Monday at Strong Memorial
Hospital in Rochester, New York, officials said.
It was unclear what type of weapon was used in the Webster shooting.
"I know that many people are going to be asking, 'Were they assault rifles?'
" I don't know that. I can't answer that at this time," Pickering told
reporters.
President Barack Obama has set a January deadline for "concrete proposals"
to deal with gun violence.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, has said she will introduce legislation
to reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. The White House
has said that the president supports that effort.
Speaking to reporters Friday, the head of the National Rifle Association
proposed putting armed guards in schools after the mass shooting in order to
protect children.
On Sunday, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he would
not support new gun restrictions, saying most gun laws now on the books are
rarely enforced. |
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