Police kill man after deadly shooting rampage in Herkimer, N.Y.
Police early Thursday killed a man suspected in a shooting rampage that left four people and an FBI dog dead in two small upstate New York towns.
Kurt Myers, 64, was shot hours after holing up in a building in tiny Herkimer, N.Y., population about 7,000, when police entered the building’s basement. Earlier, they had sent the FBI dog into the building to search for the suspect.
“He was waiting for us,†trooper Jack Keller told reporters. After Myers shot and killed the dog, officers moved in. “Our teams returned fire and the suspect gets shot,†said Keller.
The shootout ended a surreal standoff in the village about 170 miles northwest of New York City, where police, FBI agents, police dogs, helicopters and armored vehicles filled the normally tranquil streets.
The reason for the rampage was not known. Officials say Myers, who lived in neighboring Mohawk, entered a barber shop on Wednesday and shot and killed two people. He shot to death two more people at an oil change business in Herkimer, according to police. Two others were shot but survived and were in critical condition.
Schools in Mohawk and Herkimer were on lockdown as police searched for Myers. At one point Wednesday afternoon, as police searched for Myers in downtown Herkimer, gunfire rang out on the streets, sending reporters covering the standoff scurrying for cover.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the rampage “truly an inexplicable situation.â€
In a statement after Myers’ death, Cuomo said there were no injuries to law enforcement officers throughout the rampage and standoff. “It is now time for mourning those who we lost in this senseless act of violence,†he said.
According to the Associated Press, Myers was an enigma to his neighbors, barely speaking to anyone and always alone. He never even said “hi†when greeted by others, said one neighbor, Gary Urich. “I said, ‘How are you doing?’ No response. He just walked by,†Urich told AP.
He was “just an odd little man,†said Candy Rellin, the owner of a bar that Myers sometimes visited.
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