Gunman Kills 13 in Binghamton

I turned on the TV towards lunch time to check the weather. It was again breaking news on CNN and again somebody was killing some other people. I remember thinking I am glad this is not close to my home as this would worry my parents a lot. After a few minutes, I heard Binghamton! Whatever was happening was happening in Binghamton! In my town!

Unfortunately, I got used to hearing the words massacre and serial murder and unfortunately not only in an historical context. But this is the first time it is happening so close to my home. The American Civic Association is only six blocks away from my home.

It is absurd to watch your neighborhood as a crime scene live on TV. Some people were taken hostage, some were killed steps from your house and there is nothing you can do. I did not want to leave home at first but than I felt like I should, to realize that it was all real.

Soon there was a helicopter on top of my home; there were a few sirens but not too much. If there was no TV, I would never understand what really was happening. It is weird that TV was my connection to what was happening in my neighborhood.

I finally went out, walked closer to the police cars. Saw the real faces of the TV people that I had seen on TV a few minutes ago. I saw the crowd of people that I had seen on TV.

I got close to the Binghamton American Civic Association, it got more crowded and the street was closed. I was hoping for the reality to sink in better but the contrary happened. It felt even more unreal. There was a strange silence, it was rainy and everybody was staring towards one way. There were people joking to each other as if they didn't know what was happening. There were parents worried about their children at the Binghamton High School. Nobody yet knew what has already happened a few blocks away. People didn't seem so upset; I don't think we really understood how serious things were yet.

Binghamton is not the safest place on Earth, but it is not a center for crimes either. It has a little going on generally. It was very weird to see our town on all the big news channels through out the day. I wish it wasn't for something so violent.

After spending a few minutes close to the Binghamton American Civic Association, I walked back home. Things started to be clearer, we learned that the number of people killed was unfortunately 13. The gun man had killed himself too.

The telephones did not stop all day. They were worried about us in Binghamton.

It is almost 9 pm, can not believe that 13 were killed today close to my home. I might have seen them a few days ago on the bus, when I was shopping for groceries from the Ghetto Giant or when I was walking towards downtown.

I hope this is the last mass murder and I hope there will be a ban on lethal weapons.

My thoughts and prayers go out for the ones killed and their families.