BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (AP) - At least four people have been shot and several people taken hostage at an immigration services center in Binghamton, N.Y.

Mayor Matthew Ryan tells The Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin on Friday that the gunman has a high-powered rifle.

The newspaper reports there are 41 hostages in the building of the American Civic Association. It says apartments are being evacuated.

Four people have been taken from the building on stretchers and moved to hospitals. The Binghamton SWAT team is on the scene.

The incident started about 10:30 a.m.

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Four people have been removed from the building on stretchers and taken to hospitals. The Binghamton SWAT team is on the scene, along with a negotiator.

The SWAT team is getting ready to re-enter the building. The shooter is still inside, police said.

There are reportedly 41 hostages in the building -- 15 in a closet and 26 in the boiler room.

Family members of the hostages and victims are gathering at 232 Main St. in Binghamton, scanner reports indicated.

At least two ambulances from the scene have arrived at Wilson Regional Medical Center.

Police began staging at Oak and Main Street, the site of the Binghamton High School, shortly after 10:30 a.m. today. Local apartments were evacuated and businesses, such as a nearby nursing home, were placed under lockdown as a precaution.

One male was down with a woman shot in the stomach, according to a police radio. The female victim was a secretary.

Police have since called for 10 ambulances.

Binghamton Mayor Matthew Ryan, who was at the scene, said there was a hostage situation in the Civic Association building, located at 131 Front St. Ryan said the shooter has a high-powered rifle.

Police were instructed not to go into the building alone.

Binghamton High School is under a lock-down, the mayor said. The school is a block and a half away from the site.

The suspect was described as an Asian male, between 5-feet 8-inches and 6 feet tall, wearing a bright green nylon jacket and dark-rimmed glasses. He's described as being in his 20s.

Police shut down Main, North and Oak streets to respond to the incident, as well as Front Street at Gerard Avenue. The Memorial Bridge is also shut down, and police are taping off the corner of Front and North.

The American Civic Association helps immigrants and refugees with immigration and personal counseling, resettlement, citizenship, family reunification and translators. It also intervenes with emergencies, including fighting, hunger and homelessness, according to information from the association's website.

The ACA had citizenship classes scheduled for today.

Continue to check pressconnects.com for updates.

UPDATE


At least twelve people are dead after a gunman went on a shooting spree inside the American Civic Association in Binghamton, according to preliminary information from state police.

A federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Associated Press the shooter has been found dead in the building. The shooter has identification saying he was 42-year-old Jiverly Voong. The name is an alias that the man has used in the past, said the official.

The law enforcement official said the gunman entered the building through the front while firing. He had already blocked the back door with his car. According to scanner reports, 1993 Toyota at the scene was registered to Henry Voong of Johnson City.

The gunman had recently been let go from IBM, said Rep. Maurice Hinchey, whose district includes Binghamton. The gunman opened fire on a citizenship class, he told the Associated Press. “

People were there in the process of being tested for their citizenship,â€