NEW YORK- A New York man, who shot dead two firefighters and injured as many, had spent 18 years in prison for beating his grandmother to death with a hammer. William Spengler, 62, burnt down a house and car in Webster on Monday and as firefighters reached the scene to put out the blaze, Spengler shot at them.
Webster police chief Gerald Pickering told reporters that police lieutenant Michael Chiapperini, 43, and Tomasz Kaczowka, 19, a 911 dispatcher for Monroe County were killed by Spengler, who was armed with rifles.
Pickering said police had exchanged fire with Spengler, who later died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head.
He added that initial investigation revealed that Spengler had set a trap for the firefighters but did not say what the motive behind the shooting could have been. Two other firefighters were wounded in the shooting. Their condition is said to be stable.
Pickering said Spengler had “quite a lengthy criminal history” and was arrested and charged in 1980 for killing his grandmother Rose Spengler.
He served time till 1998 in a New York state prison and was released on parole. Spengler had “several different types of weapons” on him and “at least a rifle was used” to shoot the first responders. Looking at Spengler’s history, Pickering said he was an individual “who had a lot of problems and certain mental health issues were involved. We are still trying to find out what set him off.”
The killings outraged people across the nation who demanded that President Barack Obama take action to strengthen gun control laws.
