This is just one of the sickest things I have seen in awhile. People have absolutely just lost their minds. To shoot people out there trying to help is just so sad. I hope that the media never says a word about the person who did this. In my opinion, the media that popularizes these terrible people committing these crimes is partially guilty for promulgating this absolute madness.
Here is the article in the
New York Times.
By Matt Flegnheimer
Four firefighters were shot — two fatally — after apparently being lured
to an early morning blaze on Monday in Webster, N.Y., a lakefront town
about 12 miles northeast of Rochester, officials said.
The suspected assailant also died there of a self-inflicted gunshot
wound, the town’s police chief, Gerald L. Pickering, said. “It does appear that it was a trap that was set,” he said of the blaze that drew the firefighters about 5:30 a.m. After starting the fire, he said, Mr. Spengler assumed a “position of
cover” and began firing, sniper-like, at the first responders. Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester said two firefighters were in
“guarded condition.” The two others died at the scene, Chief Pickering
said. He seven homes were destroyed and had not yet been searched. “We don’t know if there are any additional victims in those homes,” he said.
The gunman was identified as William Spengler, 62, who lived at 191 Lake
Road, where the fire began, and had served about 18 years in prison for
killing his grandmother, the police chief said. Officials said he was
imprisoned until 1998, and had remained on supervised parole until 2006. Mr. Spengler’s motives were unclear, though Chief Pickering said “there were certainly mental health issues involved.”
Chief Pickering said an on-duty Webster police officer exchanged “very
brief” gunfire with Mr. Spengler and “in all likelihood saved many
lives.” But, he said, authorities scoured the area for hours trying to locate the gunman before he was found dead about 11 a.m. “It’s dark. We’ve got this raging inferno with black smoke everywhere,”
he said. “We flooded the crime scene with officers.”
As for whether someone else might have been in the burned house where
Mr. Spengler lived, Chief Pickering said that “it is possible that a
sister of Mr. Spengler is unaccounted for.” He said “at least a rifle was used” by Mr. Spengler to fire at the first
responders. He noted that as a felon, Mr. Spengler was not authorized
to possess weapons. The firefighters were from the West Webster Fire Department, about four
miles from the blaze, and were believed to be volunteers. One of the firefighters was “able to flee the scene on his own,” Chief
Pickering said. “The other three were pinned down at the location.”
As he recited the names of those killed and wounded, Chief Pickering
repeatedly choked up. One of the deceased, Michael J. Chiapperini, was a
police lieutenant in the Webster Police Department; the other, Tomasz
Kaczowka, was a 911 dispatcher for Monroe County. “These people get up in the middle of the night to go put out fires,” he
said. “They don’t expect to be shot and killed.” John Ritter, an off-duty police officer from Greece, N.Y., who happened
to be driving by and stopped to help, suffered shrapnel wounds from the
shooting, Chief Pickering added. The firefighters who were injured, both
volunteers, were identified as Joseph Hofstetter and Theodore Scardino.Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said the State Police and the Office of Emergency
Management were working with local officials. He said Webster
firefighters and the police had initially responded to a car fire.
“New York’s first responders are true heroes as they time and again
selflessly rush toward danger in order to keep our families and
communities safe,” Mr. Cuomo said. “Volunteer firefighters and police
officers were injured and two were taken from us as they once again
answered the call of duty. We as the community of New York mourn their
loss as now two more families must spend the holidays without their
loved ones.” The fire continued to burn through the morning, spreading to several homes, before being brought under control. Chief Pickering added that, with authorities establishing and
investigating the crime scene, “it took a while to make it safe” for
firefighters to move in and combat the flames.
The site of the fire runs along a narrow spit of land that divides Lake
Ontario from Irondequoit Bay. The houses in the affected area are
detached wood-frame homes with yards, across the street from the lake. Chief Pickering likened the area to “a little vacation nest.” “We have very few calls for service in that location,” he said. Michael D’Amico, a contractor who has lived on Lake Road for 20 years,
said residents were evacuated to a school. “We still can’t go back,” he
said. The area is home to many summer houses, he said, but some people lived there year-round. “A lot of times I get woken up by gunfire, but I don’t think too much of
it,” Mr. D’Amico said, noting that the area often attracted duck
hunters. “Usually the gunfire comes from the lake or the bay,” he added. “This was from further down the road.”
Vince DiPrima, an assistant manager at Bill Gray’s, a diner across the
bridge from the fires, said some firefighters had visited his restaurant
on Monday morning. He gave them some coffee. “The stuff that happened in Connecticut the other day, and then this,” Mr. DiPrima said. By noon, State Police helicopters swarmed overhead. Emergency vehicles zipped past. “It’s a weird feeling,” Mr. DiPrima said. “It’s Christmas Eve.”
Alanna Perlman age 49, of Rosebud MO, and Seth Thornton age 19, of Owensville MO, were killed in
a Gasconade County Missouri car accident.
According to officer B.F. Baker of the Missouri Highway Patrol, on
December 20,
2012 at approximately 6:45 pm on Missouri Highway 28 west of Baker Road, the
accident occurred. The
Police report states that the accident occurred as a vehicle driven by Alanna Perlman lost control on an icy road and crossed the center lane and was struck by a 2012 GMC truck driven by Raymond Bowers. The condition of the roadway and the reasonableness of operating the vehicle in such condition is still not known. The Gasconade County Coroner pronounced Perlman dead at 8:19 p.m. and Seth Thornton dead at 8:21 p.m.
Matthew Gann, age 32 and Brandy Acheson, age 38 were involved in an accident in Lawrence County Missouri on December 22, 2012. The accident ended with Brandy Acheson losing her life and left Matthew Gann seriously injured. According to Trooper Cook of the Missouri Highway Partol on December 22, 2012 at approximately 4:40 am on Missouri
Highway 39 about 4 miles south of Mt. Vernon the accident occurred. The
Police report states that the accident occurred when a vehicle operated
by Matthew Gann crossed the center lane and struck a vehicle driven by Brandy Acheson head on. The reasons as to why the vehicle crossed the
lane are still unknown. In accordance with state law Mr. Gann was tested for alcohol consumption. Mr. Gann was airlifted to Mercy Hospital in Springfield and Ms. Acheson was pronounced dead at the scene.
An accident in Wyandotte county has horrible outcome for local man Randy Beery, age 36 and Katrina Kobe, age 26. According to Ian Ingram the investigating officer for the Kansas Highway patrol, on December 21, 2012 at approximately 10:44 pm at 5000 Shawnee Drive in Kansas City, Kansas the accident occurred. The
Police report states that the accident took place when a vehicle operated
by Randy Beery lost control on the icy road and went off the right side of the road and struck a tree. This was a one vehicle accident involving a 2006 Crown Victoria owned by Wyandotte County. Mr. Beery was a prominent member of his community serving as the president for the local school board and a major in the Wyandotte County Sheriff's office.
Maria Oropeza-Magana age 40, of Kansas City Kansas was seriously injured in
a Johnson County Kansas car accident. According to Kansas Highway Patrol on
December 11,
2012 at approximately 3:40 pm on Northbound I35 just south of 75th street in Overland Park the
accident occurred. The
Police report states that the accident occurred as a vehicle driven by Bernhard Dunnewind of Shawnee, slowed his car on I35, and a vehicle driven by Janette Johnson of Kansas City, swerved to avoid hitting the slowed vehicle and ultimately was T-boned by the operator of a third car, Ms. Maria Oropeza-Magana. The reasons as to why Ms. Johnson had to take such maneuvers are unknown. Maria Oropeza-Magana was seriously injured and taken to Overland Park Hospital
for treatment.
