Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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April 4, 2009

Motive Unclear in New York Shooting Rampage
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=235AC0C:A6F02AD83191E160058757F1ED6314570531BB26A5003E7B&
 
Civic leaders say Vietnamese gunman lost job, suffered from depression 
State Troopers park in front of Voong's home in NY on 04 Apr 2009U.S.
authorities said it is not yet clear why a Vietnamese immigrant went on
a shooting rampage at an immigration center in Binghamton in the
northeastern state of New York, killing 13 people before taking his own
life. Police say 42-year-old Jiverly Voong went into the American Civic
Association Friday and immediately opened fire. Witnesses said he shot
two receptionists at the front entrance and then fired into a classroom
filled with immigrants taken citizenship classes. City leaders and
police say Voong, who lived in the nearby community of Johnson City, had
recently lost his job and had been depressed. In a televised interview
Saturday on CNN news, Mayor Matthew Ryan said the suspected gunman did
not speak English well and felt "people were looking down at him"
because of his language skills. Ryan said the suspect had been familiar
with the immigration center and probably took English classes there. The
ordeal lasted more than 90 minutes, as law enforcement officers
surrounded the building and survivors hid in a boiler room and storage
closets. Four people were critically wounded and 37 others managed to
escape. Authorities said the gunman parked a car so it blocked the back
door at the center and entered through the front door. The Web site for
the American Civic Association said the center provides a range of
services to immigrants and refugees. The services include counseling and
aiding in the resettlement, citizenship and family reunification
process. Binghamton, New York, is a city of about 47,000 located some
225 kilometers northwest of New York City.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.


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