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| Residence near shooting and fire in Webster evacuated. (Max Schulte/Rochester Democrat&Chronicle via Twitter) |
A man with a criminal history
shot and killed two West Webster, N.Y. firefighters and seriously
injured two others as they responded to a fire at his home., police say.
William H. Spengler, Jr., 62,
apparently started a 5:35 a.m. fire at his home on Lake Road and then
waited with an armament of weapons for first responders to arrive,
Webster N.Y. Police Chief Gerald Pickering said at an afternoon news
conference.
“He was shooting from high ground or a berm," Pickering said. "He was barricaded with weapons to shoot first responders."
After a brief exchange of gunfire with police, Spengler then shot and killed himself at the scene, Pickering said.
Spengler beat Rose Spengler to death with a hammer 1980, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported. Rose Spengler had lived in the home next to William Spengler on Lake Road at the time of her death.
Local police had not noted any criminal activity in his recent past, Pickering said.
Pickering said they are looking into the apparent disappearance of Spengler's sister who is unaccounted for at this time.
Police and fire officials are
continuing to gather evidence and will inspect the seven homes that were
destroyed in the fire that spread to nearby houses in the small
lakeside town located 10 miles east of Rochester.
The victims in the shooting are
Mike Chiapperini, also a lieutenant and public information officer with
the local police department, and Tomasz Kaczowka, Pickering said.
"These people get up in the
middle of the night to fight fires. They don't expect to be shot and
killed," a tearful Pickering said at the press conference.
Chiapperini was described by
Pickering as a lifelong firefighter who started with the department's
explorer program and had about 20 years of experience. Kaczowka was a
younger firefighter who was on the force for about two years and was
also a 911 dispatcher, he said.
West Webster firefighters Joseph
Hofsetter and Theodore Scardino were seriously injured and are at Strong
Memorial Hospital with gunshot wounds, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Scardino has injuries to his chest and lungs. Hofsetter was injured in
the pelvis, the spokeswoman said at a media briefing. Both are in
guarded condition, she said.
An off-duty police officer from
nearby Greece, N.Y., John Ritter was also injured by shrapnel during the
shooting, Pickering said.
Pickering said that one of the
firefighters who survived made his way across a bridge to safety. The
other three did not make it across, Pickering said. Police arrived and
rescued the other three firefighters, but two were fatally shot,
Pickering said.
The morning scene was described
as chaotic as police and firefighters dealt with an immense blaze as
well as gunshots, local news station WHAM-TV reports.
“I’m not aware of anything like
this happening in Webster, obviously not a firefighter being fired
upon,” Webster Fire Marshal Rob Boutillier told the Democrat and Chronicle. Pickering described Webster as resort lakeside community that is quiet and usually peaceful.
WHAM reported that an outpouring
of support has come through the Webster community. Black flags
reportedly have been draped at some homes and offices to honor those
killed and injured.
N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo tweeted of the incident: We as the community of #NY mourn their loss as now 2 more families must spend the holidays without their loved ones #Webster
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