NEW YORK, Dec 24 (Reuters) – Two upstate New York volunteer
firefighters were shot and killed and three others were wounded
on Monday at the scene of an early morning house fire in a
suburb of Rochester, authorities said.
The two firefighters were shot by a gunman – who was later
found dead – as they responded to the scene of several house
fires in Webster, New York, according to a spokeswoman for New
York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Another two firefighters were injured in the shooting and
were rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital, where they remained in
“guarded” condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman. A
third victim, an off-duty police officer, was hit by stray
gunfire as he was driving by the scene.
A body believed to be that of the shooter was later found by
police outside one of the homes where the fire began. The
assailant was killed by gunfire, though it was not immediately
clear if the wounds were self-inflicted, authorities said.
The fire burned throughout the morning as police secured the
area as a crime scene and evacuated area residents.
The dead volunteer firefighters were identified as Lt.
Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka, according to Michelle
Hook, the attorney general’s spokeswoman.
The injured firefighters were identified as Joseph Hofsetter
and Theodore Scardino, and the off-duty police officer was
identified as John Ritter.
