Our Peaceful Valley....

It looks like the rest of the world is finally invading our peaceful valley.  This morning an armed gunman shot and killed 4 people, 2 in Mohawk on Washington St and 2 in Herkimer at Gaffey's Car Wash on Mohawk St and sent 2 more to the hospital.  There are police helicopters flying over head...low enough to see the decals!..., Route 5  was blocked at the Frankfort Bridge and part of Main St in Herkimer around Green St but, although there are checkpoints, traffic is still moving up Main St.   All the schools in the valley are in lockdown.  There were police from all the Valley towns (Frankfort, Ilion, Herkimer, Mohawk, Little Falls) along with the sheriff's department and US Marshalls, ATF, Homeland Security, FBI and State Police from Herkimer & Richfield Springs looking for a red jeep with a black top...that they found in Herkimer... and an older man with white or gray hair and beard that they id-ed but haven't found yet.

Jeff's in town at his apartment and is probably going to have to stay there for awhile but I wish he was here.  (Sorry cousin Mike M but I think a gun just went to the top of my wish list.)  The police seem to have the gunman, id'ed as Kurt Meyer, 50-60 yrs old, cornered in an apartment near Green St...sounds like a building across from the police station that had been a barber shop years ago.  There's even been a swat cop in a news video walking up Main St carrying a long auto gun!   From his kitchen window Jeff's been watching swat cops suiting up in the police station parking lot, big cell dishes being hooked up and bomb squad trucks pulling in, but nothing happening that he can see.  There are a couple of empty building in the area...an old school (Bills) and an old bar (the GH/Glory Days) ...that would make interesting hideouts.  Troopers have been working the area with their dogs, too, and a swat cop was seen going thru a window at Bills....

My friend, Fred, who is still teaching in China, is from Mohawk.  He emailed me this morning asking me to check on his parents, so I just called Marilyn, his stepmother.  They don't know who was shot, but Fred's father has his shotgun loaded and ready, the cars and house are locked up and they're staying inside...which they should do cos this morning Marilyn went to the dentist on Mohawk St in Herkimer near Stewart's and had a bit of trouble getting back home...a  lot of flashing lights slowed her down (Gaffey's is in the same block just the other side of the street).  Then they went back to Herkimer to Denny's and saw the lights again down the block but didn't go close enough to find out anything.  

TV is saying that Meyers, the suspect, set fire to his apartment in Mohawk before the shootings this morning.  No victim names have been released but it's been said the owner of the barber shop in Mohawk is one.  The governor was suppose to have a press conference at the East Herkimer state police barracks but most of the cops just left the building in a rush...Andy C, too,  and headed back down town.  Said there were shots fired in Herkimer.. but Jeff didn't hear any.

Every time a helicopter goes by overhead, my dog hides under the bed.  Here comes another...there she goes!

Oh, TV just said there is a new pope!