Update: Two Firefighters Shot Dead in Upstate New York

[Pink.]

Two firefighters shot dead in upstate New YorkBy Catherine E. Shoichet and Chuck Johnston, CNN
updated 12:03 PM EST, Mon December 24, 2012
Flames tear through a house in Webster, New York, where shots were fired at firefighters Monday.STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: New York governor calls it a "horrific shooting" and a "senseless act of violence"
Two firefighters were killed; two wounded ones reported in guarded condition at hospital
Multiple houses burned in fire as gunshots prevented crews from fighting the fire
One firefighter escaped from the scene in his own vehicle
(CNN) -- At least two firefighters were shot and killed at the scene of a fire that engulfed multiple houses in upstate New York on Monday, police said.

Doctors treated two other firefighters for gunshot wounds, police in Webster, New York, told reporters.

Authorities believe one or more shooters took aim at the firefighters after they left their vehicles, Police Chief Gerald Pickering said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo described it as a "horrific shooting" and a "senseless act of violence."

"Volunteer firefighters and police officers were injured and two were taken from us as they once again answered the call of duty," he said in a statement.

It was unclear whether there were any suspects.

"We have different individuals that were possible people with knowledge, but at this point I can't really comment," Monroe County Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn told reporters.

For hours, the gunfire stopped firefighters from working to extinguish the flames and forced police SWAT teams to evacuate homes in the area.

Firefighters first arrived before 6 a.m., said Rob Boutillier, Webster's fire marshal. By 9 a.m., flames had engulfed three houses and a vehicle, he said.

"It's still an active crime scene," Pickering said. "We have firefighters there at the location. It took a while to make it safe ... to put out the fires."

Doctors were treating the wounded firefighters Monday morning, said Teri D'Agostino, a spokeswoman for Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York. They were in guarded condition, she said.

One firefighter escaped from the scene in his own vehicle about an hour after he was shot, then was taken to the hospital by an ambulance from another location, Boutillier said.

Another wounded firefighter was conscious and speaking when he was removed from the scene, Boutillier said.

The shooting comes amid a renewed debate over gun control in the United States after a gunman killed 26 people at a Connecticut elementary school earlier this month.

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 on Friday, the National Rifle Association's president called for more guns in the wake of the mass shooting, proposing putting an armed guard in every U.S. school in order to protect children.

On Sunday, NRA President Wayne LaPierre told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he would not express support for any new gun restrictions, saying most gun laws on the books are currently rarely enforced.

[Faline]

[AmericanIllusions]

Another bullshit false flag. Just heard the 911 tape and all they talked about was the "EVIL ASSAULT RIFLE" not the nut that used it. Boys get ready, that tree called Liberty may need to be watered in a few.

[AmericanIllusions]

<****** width="640" height="360" src="http://www.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=45b48f227b49" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></******>

[hambone]

what. the. fuck.

[Mr-Tape]

Originally Posted by Mr-Tape

I wonder how many more killing sprees will unfold in beautiful America before Christmas.

Does this one count as "before Christmas"?

[Brometheus]

^ ..waiting for him to reply to himself..

[kellyhound]

For a few hours, the scene was chaotic: flames ignited adjacent houses as the police frantically searched for the gunman.

They would find him dead near the beach, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was identified as William Spengler, 62, a man with a lengthy criminal record, who lived in the burning house.

In 1981, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter for bludgeoning his 92-year-old grandmother to death with a hammer. He was imprisoned until 1998.

He remained on supervised parole until 2006, and the Webster police said they had not had recent brushes with him. His mother, Arline, who lived in the same house, died this year.

A former neighbor, Roger D. Vercruysse, said Mr. Spengler and his sister had also lived in the house, but “he stayed in one part with his mother and his sister stayed in the other part, and they never talked to each other.”

Mr. Spengler’s ire for his sister was matched by love for his mother, Mr. Vercruysse said.

Mr. Spengler did not seem to have a lot of friends, but “every time I needed help, he was there,” Mr. Vercruysse, 64, said, whether it was for shoveling snow or driving Mr. Vercruysse’s blind sister to the store. The police said they found Mr. Spengler with three weapons by his side, including the rifle used in the shootings.

Authorities said that they did not know where he got the weapons, but that there had been recent gun thefts in Monroe County, where Webster is. As a felon, Mr. Spengler was prohibited from owning guns.

Authorities said they were unaware of a motive, but Gerald L. Pickering, the police chief in Webster, suggested that “there were certainly mental health issues involved.”

The two men killed were Michael J. Chiapperini, 43, a local police lieutenant who owned a window-tinting business, and Tomasz Kaczowka, 19, a 911 dispatcher for Monroe County.

[icheerthebull]

people who attack fire fighters and paramedics are some of the lowest forms of life in existance. I consider their lives to be of less value then a jar of marmite. I hate marmite.

[Pink.]

The death toll has risen.

The "apparent human remains" found at the home are probably the remains of his sister who has been missing since the incident unolded.
Police investigating the ambush Monday in upstate New York in which two firefighters were killed said Tuesday that they had found what appeared to be human remains at the gunman's home. Authorities said they believed the remains were those of the gunman's 67-year-old sister, who lived with him.

Earlier, police said Spengler had left a three-page typewritten note saying he wanted to burn down the neighborhood and "do what I like doing best, killing people."

At a second briefing Tuesday, Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering said police believed the probable human remains were those of Cheryl Spengler, 67, who had been missing since the ambush.


Officials provide the latest details on the ambush that killed two firefighters while responding to a blaze in Webster, N.Y.

Pickering said two other firefighters shot during the ambush, Joseph Hofstetter and Theodore Scardino, were recovering at a hospital in Rochester. A spokeswoman at Strong Memorial Hospital said the two were in guarded condition and were alert and oriented, but she didn't expect them to be released for a few more days.

An off-duty police officer also was hit by gunfire as he drove past the scene Monday morning. No information on his condition was immediately available Tuesday.

Pickering said Spengler armed himself with three weapons and set his house afire to lure first responders into a death trap.