At Least 12 Die in Binghamton Rampage

Twelve or 13 people were killed when a gunman opened fire in an immigration services center in Binghamton, N.Y., Gov. David A. Paterson said Friday.

"While the situation is still developing and details are being gathered, we do know that a gunman entered the American Civic Association in Binghamton this morning and that there are fatalities,” Governor Paterson said in a statement Friday afternoon. “We are monitoring the situation, and I have directed the State Police to assist the Binghamton Police Department in any way they can.”

The gunman, described as a man in his 20s, had a high-powered rifle, Mayor Matthew Ryan of Bunghamton told The Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin, and NBC News quoted law enforcement sources saying that several weapons were recovered from the scene.

The gunman barricaded the rear door of the association building with his car before entering through the front door, firing his weapon, The Associated Press quoted a local official as saying.

The newspaper web site quoted the police there as saying that about 40 hostages were in the building. Shortly after noon, about 10 people were released from the building, the reports said, and about 40 minutes later another 10 were released.

The Binghamton Police Department declined to provide details of the shootings, as officers and members of local SWAT teams surrounded the building, situated on a mixed commercial and residential strip on the west bank of the Chenango River near the center of the city.

Binghamton High School, around the corner from the scene of the shootings, was locked down, and nearby apartment buildings were being evacuated, according to the newspaper. It quoted the mayor of Binghamton, Matthew Ryan, as saying the gunman had a high-powered rifle.

The mayor scheduled a news conference at 4 p.m. Eastern time to brief reporters about the situation.

The association describes itself on its Web site an organization that aids immigrants and refugees.

Maryam Weisser, a vice president of the civic association, said in a telephone interview that she was not sure how many people were killed, though she knew that the group’s secretary and a case worker were in the building at the time and that English as a second language classes were going on at the time of the shooting.

“This is the friendliest, nicest place to be,” Ms. Weisser, a volunteer from Vestal, N.Y., said. “ This is a community where we help with any immigrant issue, with citizenship and translation.”