Gunman kills up to 13 people, self in NY rampage

A gunman massacred up to 13 people Friday at an immigration center in upstate New York before taking at least 40 hostages, then apparently turning the gun towards himself.

New York Governor David Paterson, speaking in a live television broadcast, said the shooter "killed 12 or 13 people. This is a horrible situation."

The gunman, who also took 40 hostages at the civic center in the sleepy city of Binghamton, later killed himself, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources.

Tragedy in Binghamton

The tragedy began mid-morning when the gunman entered the American Civic Association building in Binghamton, 135 miles (217 kilometers) northwest of New York city.

The gunman was believed to have parked a car so that it blocked the back door of the civic center, preventing escape.

After opening fire the gunman holed himself up with hostages in the center, where help is given to new immigrants and would-be U.S. citizens.

Heavily armed police, backed by commandos and FBI agents, swarmed into the area and surrounded the building.

By mid-afternoon, local News 10 Now television said the town police chief had confirmed: "The building is secure and everyone alive is out."

Two people were taken out of the building during the standoff with their hands secured behind their backs, local television and newspapers reported, but it was not clear whether these were suspects or had been detained as a precaution.

Initial reports suggested the shooter was a young man of Asian appearance and that the attack started during a gathering of immigrants at the civic association.

CNN reported the gunman was a 42-year-old male from upstate New York.

During the standoff, TV footage showed police officers carrying out several stretchers, including one on which the victim was clearly still moving. Crowds of anxious people gathered in the area, watching.

Christina Boyd, a spokeswoman for United Health Services, said from Binghamton there were also three people injured, all shot at the civic building crime scene, and treated at Wilson Hospital.

The two females and one male all underwent surgery and were in "stable to critical" condition, she told AFP, without offering further detail.

At Binghamton General there were no fatalities, she said. "But we are poised and prepared" in the event further patients are treated there in the multiple murder case, she said.

The shooter killed 12 or 13 people. This is a horrible situation

New York Governor David Paterson

Gun-related violence

The shooting came just days after a heavily-armed man burst into a North Carolina nursing home on Sunday killing eight people.

Armed with multiple weapons, alleged gunman Robert Stewart, 45, stormed the nursing home in Carthage, North Carolina, shooting 11 people before being stopped by a single police officer.

Stewart was hospitalized for a gunshot wound and faces multiple murder charges. His estranged wife works in the home, but was not hurt in the attack.

Friday's carnage in New York state is the latest to rock small-town America, which has often borne the brunt of violent gun-related outbursts but where many inhabitants fiercely advocate the right to own and carry firearms.

Earlier this month, a 28-year-old unemployed man killed 10 people, including his mother and a toddler, in a shooting rampage through two counties in Alabama, the worst in the southern state's history.

In December, a man dressed as Santa Claus opened fire at a Christmas party being given by his ex-wife in Covina, California, killing nine people before shooting himself.

In October, an ex-convict opened fire with an assault rifle at a man and two children who had come to trick-or-treat at his home in Sumter, South Carolina on Halloween. A 12-year-old boy died of his wounds in that incident.

And in September, a mentally ill man shot eight people, killing six, in Alger, Washington a month after being released from prison.

The spate of high-profile mass killings in the United States in the past six months has shown the impact that the economic meltdown is having on rising violence, experts have said.

Criminologist Jack Levin says there is a clear link between the economy and rising body counts.

"A mass killer is someone who has almost always suffered a catastrophic loss -- that's the link between a recession and mass killings," he told AFP, citing the loss of a job, the loss of a lot of money or the loss of a relationship.

A mass killer is someone who has almost always suffered a catastrophic loss -- that's the link between a recession and mass killings

Criminologist Jack Levin