The gunman was a 41-year-old man of Asian descent

[PistolPV]

DEVELOPING: A gunman opened fire on immigrants involved in citizenship testing in upstate New York on Friday, killing as many as a dozen people before committing suicide, officials said.

The gunman was a 41-year-old man of Asian descent and lived in the Binghamton suburb of Johnson City. Jiverly Voong, who also goes by the name Linh Phat Voong, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a local law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

Voong blocked the back door of the building with his car, then stormed in through the front entrance about 10:30 a.m. while firing a high-powered gun. Several people were taken hostage.

The gunman wore a bright green nylon jacket and dark-rimmed glasses as he executed victim after victim, according to local media. His body was found on the first floor of the American Civic Association with a hunting knife jammed into the waistband of his pants, the reports said.

Gov. David Paterson said at a news conference earlier Friday that 12 or 13 people had been killed. The suspected gunman carried identification with the name of Jiverly Voong, a law enforcement official said.

"This is a tragic day for New York," Paterson said in a prepared statement just after learning of the shooting.

President Obama expressed sympathy for the victims and their families and vowed to monitor the situation in a statement released late Friday afternoon.

"Michelle and I were shocked and deeply saddened to learn about the act of senseless violence in Binghamton, N.Y. today," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and the people of Binghamton. We don't yet know all the facts, but my administration is actively monitoring the situation and the Vice President is in touch with Governor Paterson and local officials to track developments."

Vice President Joe Biden, speaking at an event in New York, told the crowd that someone entered a room where an examination was being given from immigrants to become U.S. citizens, then shot and killed 12 or 13 people.

The Associated Press reported that at least 41 people were taken hostage, citing police and media sources.

SWAT team officers surrounded the building but it took several hours to secure the scene.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was also sending agents to Binghamton.

While the tragedy was unfolding, emergency dispatchers were in contact with some people inside by phone, according to WBNG-TV reported.

People escaped to the basement of the building and more than a dozen people hid in a closet, WBNG reported.

Police locked down a nearby high school, evacuated apartment buildings and advised local business owners to stay inside.

The FBI sent hostage negotiators and an evidence response team to the scene.

The American Civic Association helps immigrants in the Binghamton area with naturalization applications, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The association describes itself as helping immigrants and refugees with counseling, resettlement, citizenship, family reunification and translators.

The association's president, Angela Leach, "is very upset right now," said Mike Chanecka, a friend who answered a call at her home as Leach wept in the background.

"She doesn't know anything; she's as shocked as anyone," Chanecka said. "For some reason, she had the day off today. And she's very worried about her secretary."

Two women and a man suffering gunshot wounds were being treated at Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City, said hospital spokeswoman Christina Boyd. One was stable, one was serious and one was critical. Their ages ranged from 20s to 50s, she said.

Linda Miller, a spokeswoman at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, said a student from Binghamton University was being treated there.

The shooting occurred in a mixed neighborhood of homes and small businesses in the center of Binghamton, a city of about 47,000 located 140 miles northwest of New York City.

College student Leslie Shrager told the AP that she and her five housemates were sleeping when police pounded on the front door of their house next door to the shooting scene.

Officers escorted the six Binghamton University students outside, she said, and that's when they learned of the shooting.

"One of our housemates thought they heard banging of some kind. But when you're living in downtown Binghamton, it's always noisy," said Shrager, of Slingerlands, an Albany suburb. "Literally two minutes later the cops came and got us out."

At the junction of the Susquehanna and the Chenango rivers, the Binghamton area was the home to Endicott-Johnson shoe company and the birthplace of IBM, which between them employed tens of thousands of workers before the shoe company closed a decade ago and IBM downsized in recent years.

College student Leslie Shrager told the AP that she and her five housemates were sleeping when police pounded on the front door of their house next door to the shooting scene.

Officers escorted the six Binghamton University students outside, she said, and that's when they learned of the shooting.

U.S. senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said in a joint statement that "our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. We ... will do everything we can to help."

FOXNews.com's Catherine Donaldson-Evans and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[DCbrucelee]

This thing is gonna get worst!

[bygones]

Sounds like a H'mong name. This reminds me of Chai Vang, the Minnesotan hunter several years back.

[kilobite]

Quote: Originally Posted by bygones Sounds like a H'mong name. This reminds me of Chai Vang, the Minnesotan hunter several years back.

Now how's that a sounds like ?
There Chai Vang defended and killed white racist hunters in a fair shoot-out.
Here this wacko slaughter innocent, defendless Asians in a closed chamber.

you tell me this is a sounds like ?
Tell me more!

[bygones]

Calm down boy. Don't be nut and jump at me like a bulldog like that. You sound like Chai Vang is your papa. If that is the case, I appologize for I have referred you papa name. Got it?

Go back and read my post. Did I say something that hurts you and your entire clan? What I mean is what I typed: The name Voong reminds me of Vang for they sound similar; and that I wonder if they are rooted from a group of people like Huynh and Hoang of the Kinh group. Then I ask myself: they must be Hmong name?

If my just-that-simple-wonder that droves you nut, then I am having a good laugh on this eve of the coming weekend.

[kilobite]

sorry bro. I guess I over-reacted!

well, I had many Laos friends before and yes Voong is pretty much a Laos or Hmong name. But who knows, it could also Korean.... like Wook, Boon, Shin... Won, Ton.. or Kim, Chi....Voong...well, just my though

[blizzard07]

LOL
He's Vietnamese as Người Việt and Yahoo indicated
How would it possible for Voong to be a Vietnamese last name?

[bygones]

kilobite, cheers.

blizzard07,

Hmong is a large group. Their living areas span several countries, mostly in frontier and mountain areas. Northwesthern Vietnam, Southwesthern China, Northeasthern Lao, and Cambodia, Thailand, Mianma, and in many more countries after they migrated.

Vong Phat Linh is a Hmong-Viet name as the initial news report. Vietnamese surnames are rich. I had a classmate name Hoa Muhammad. Her mother is Viet. Her father is Viet also but has root in Brunei. He speaks no language other than Vietnamese! Just the last name is the thing he inherited from his family bloodline.

[IFlyX5]

This a$$hole gave us Vietnamese a bad name. (##@_#@U@!!!!
Rot in hell, you coward.

[blizzard07]

Yeap, Vietnam thì rất nhiều sắc dân, nhưng hễ là dân Việt thì bất cứ ai cũng fải có họ "chữ Việt" như Thái, Sào, Bạch, Vàng, Chế, Thạch.... Người Việt không có ai họ Wong hay họ Voong cả.
Vụ này thì cũng na ná như khi ai đó hỏi "anh ở đâu?" trả lời rằng ở Bà Rịa sợ không ai biết, thôi trả lời rằng "tui ở Sài Gòn" cho thiên hạ biết cho dù Bà Rịa cách Sài Gòn xa lắc. Cái này cũng thế, hỏi "anh dân gốc nào" trả lời H'mong chắc thiên hạ không biết, thôi thì nói đại Việt Nam cho rồi.
Mấy chục năm làm nguời cộng với ở trong 1 vùng multiple cultures, Miên Lào, Tàu tui biết, mấy giống dân này, hễ tụi Tàu đông thì nó nhận nó là người Tàu, khi cần len lỏi vô cộng đồng Việt Nam thì nó nói nó là dân Việt, hồi đó có ở VN