Binghamton

A tragedy is unfolding in Binghamton, NY, where a gunman is believed to have killed more than a dozen people.

Thirteen people have been reported dead in this morning's shooting at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, police have told Gov. David Paterson's office.

Two people were taken from the American Civic Association with their hands cuffed behind their back. Dozens of others were being held hostage by a gunman in the Binghamton building.

Scanner reports indicate that police are following another man under the Court Street bridge.

The three patients at Wilson Regional Medical Center ranged in condition, with at least one critical, said spokesman Jon Tooley. According to reports at the scene, two were in surgery at Wilson. Two are women and one is a man; they range in age from 20 to 60.

I hate to risk trivializing this horrible incident with a critique of the news media, but I just heard something on MSNBC that was so stupid it is hard to leave unmentioned.

The hosts of the 1:00 PM (CDT) newshour were interviewing a Binghamton resident who lives in the area where the shootings took place. The male host (I think it was Don Lemon, but I could be wrong) The male host, Carlos Watson, asked the woman how long she has lived in Binghamton. "Almost six years," she answered.

His follow up question was, "Have you ever seen anything like this happen before?"

Seriously. As if the mass murder of at least a dozen people in a town like Binghamton, NY, would have gone unnoticed.

I appreciate the need to fill time in a live, breaking-news situation like this, but that kind of mindless blather is ridiculous.