Economy May have Fueled NY Shooting
April 5, 2009 by Allison Boyer
Filed under Business
When someone opens fire on a group of innocent people, there are likely a number of factors that come into play. In the case of the NY shooting by Jiverly Voong, one of these factors may have
Image: Newscom
been the poor economy.
Early on Friday, Voong, who had legally changed his name from Wong and was an immigrant himself, charged into Binghamton’s American Civic Association and killed 13 people before turning the gun on himself. Police suspect that he was prepared for a shootout with police, but chickened out when he heard sirens.
Voong apparently had a gun permit since the late 1990s, but may have been prompted to use it following his recently job loss from the Shop Vac assembly plant. the plant closed in November, and an acquaintance said the Voong complained of only receiving a mere $200 per week in unemployment benefits.
He also reportedly said that he couldn’t find a job, and has been quoted as saying “America sucks.”
The New York shooting hasn’t been the only one recently spurred by job loss and desperation. On Saturday, a 23-year-old Pittsburgh man killed three police officers after reaching a breaking point due to losing his job at a local glass factory. Across the nation, tensions are high, leading to more and more violence.
