WEBSTER, N.Y. – Four volunteer firefighters responding to a pre-dawn house fire were shot Monday morning, two fatally, leading to a shootout in suburban Rochester, N.Y. with the alleged gunman found dead the scene, police said.
A lone gunman, identified as William Spangler, was believed by investigators to have set his home and a car on fire to lure first responders.
Once firefighters arrived, Spangler, under a 'position of cover' fired at the firefighters from a distance after they arrived around 5:30 a.m. to battle the blaze near the Lake Ontario shore, just east of Rochester, Town of Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering said.
The shooter was found dead after a short pursuit with cops according to Pickering. It was not immediately clear if the gunshot was self-inflicted. The first Webster police officer who arrived on the scene exchanged gunfire with the shooter.
"It appears to be a trap that was set for responders," Pickering said in a press conference on Monday.
Of the four volunteer firefighters, two were fatally shot including Tomasz Kaczowka and Mike Chiapperini, who was also a lieutenant and public information officer for the local police department.
the two volunteers who survived were taken to University of Rochester Medical Center were they were listed in guarded condition in the intensive care unit, according to hospital officials with one suffering severe injuries to his pelvis.
The West Webster Fire District received a report of a car and house on fire on Lake Road, on a narrow peninsula where Irondequoit Bay meets Lake Ontario, Flynn said.
"When they got there, they stated to take on rounds and the initial responders were struck," the sheriff said.
The fire started in one home and spread to Three others and a car, officials said.
The two wounded firefighters were in critical condition at a Rochester hospital, Flynn said.
According to police officials, Spangler has a lengthy criminal record, including a conviction for murdering his own grandmother in 1980.
Spangler's sister, who is believed to have lived at the house with him, has not been accounted for according to police officials.
Over 30 residents were evacuated from the area, located on the shores of Lake Ontario, and kept aboard city buses for warmth.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released a statement saying, "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."
“One behalf of my family and all New Yorkers, I offer my deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed today and pray for the recovery of the injured.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/24/firefighter-shot-at-scene-blaze-in-western-ny-2-homes-burning-as-police-search/#ixzz2G07ku4VU
