Filed by KOSU News in US News.
March 14, 2013

A deadly drama in central New York State ended early Thursday when police killed the man suspected of shooting to death four people and injuring two others on Wednesday, Utica’s Observer-Dispatch reports.

According to the newspaper:

“After a nearly 19-hour standoff, police officers this morning swarmed the building where shooting suspect Kurt Myers had been holed up since Wednesday afternoon and Myers was shot dead, police said.

“Police say Myers opened fire as they entered the basement of the former Glory Days building in Herkimer, killing an FBI police dog. Officers then returned fire, killing Myers.”

As North Country Public Radio writes, “residents of southern Herkimer County are puzzled about why a 64-year-old loner allegedly went into a barbershop and opened fire in a burst of violence that would eventually leave four dead and two critically wounded.”

All four of those killed were men, NCPR says. Two were at the barbershop (as were the two men who were injured). The other two who died were shot at a Fast Lube station.

Before Thursday’s climatic shootout, NCPR reported about Myers and what happened Wednesday:

“He’s white. He has a gray beard. Other than that, residents tell the Associated Press they barely knew Myers, that he rarely spoke. One person called him ‘just an odd little man.’

“Local police said they knew of Myers. But his only known previous criminal history is a 1973 arrest for driving while intoxicated in the town of Webb.

“Police say they found guns and ammunition in Myers’ apartment when they responded to a fire there [Wednesday] morning. Myers allegedly drove from his apartment to John’s Barber Shop around the corner. He walked in, said some words, and opened fire with a shotgun, killing two and injuring two more.

“Myers then allegedly drove to a car wash a mile away in Herkimer and killed two more people.”

The Associated Press has posted some video taken at the scene of the standoff on Wednesday. You can hear shots being fired and police telling people to get out of the area. [Copyright 2013 NPR]