Herkimer & Mohawk Residents React To Shootings
By: Rachel Polansky
Updated: March 14, 2013
Eyewitness News spent the day at both scenes in Herkimer and Mohawk,
speaking with community members from those villages. As you can imagine
people are shocked, confused and simply terrified.
"I don't understand why this is happening. Its frightening, it really is," says Linda Brindisi, resident of Mohawk Street in Herkimer.
Linda Brindisi lives right across the street from Gaffey's Car Wash in Herkimer. She says her phone has been ringing off the hook all morning with concerned friends and family.
"They're all calling me frantically, are you okay? Cause they know I live down the street it was scary, I didn't know what was going on. And my grandson's on lock-down at school and I just want him home it just shows you it can happen anywhere," says Brindisi.
"Knowing it was right next door and 2 people lost their lives, its scary, it really is," says Deb Baumann, employee at Nice N' Easy on Mohawk Street in Herkimer.
Baumann works at the Nice N' Easy just feet away from the scene. She says at this point, she's just happy to be alive.
"We had a couple people coming in telling us he has a list of people he was after so you gotta wonder. We're just hoping and praying if he does have a list, we're not on that list," says Baumann.
And just a mile away, 2 more people were fatally shot and 2 others wounded at John's Barber Shop in Mohawk. Community members say they're still in shock.
"My neighbor pounds on my door saying don't go outside, 2 people are dead," says Aaron Burkhart, resident of West Main Street in Mohawk.
"A couple popping noises, never thought it was gun shots and after we heard sirens from police i ran out of my conference room and we realized something happening," says Joe Cirillo, resident of West Main Street in Mohawk.
Residents are still trying to grasp how a tragedy like this could devastate there small community.
"Mohawk is usually not the kind of place that something like that happens," says Burkhart.
"Everyone knows everyone here and it is absolutely chilling to think that somebody up the street would start opening fire on random people and realizing that could have been any of us on Main Street, that could have been my office," says Cirillo.
And as we've told you, at this point, the shooter is still on the loose. The Mobile Crisis Assessment team is stationed at the Mohawk Municipal Building on Columbia Street. We're told crisis counselors are on hand.
"I don't understand why this is happening. Its frightening, it really is," says Linda Brindisi, resident of Mohawk Street in Herkimer.
Linda Brindisi lives right across the street from Gaffey's Car Wash in Herkimer. She says her phone has been ringing off the hook all morning with concerned friends and family.
"They're all calling me frantically, are you okay? Cause they know I live down the street it was scary, I didn't know what was going on. And my grandson's on lock-down at school and I just want him home it just shows you it can happen anywhere," says Brindisi.
"Knowing it was right next door and 2 people lost their lives, its scary, it really is," says Deb Baumann, employee at Nice N' Easy on Mohawk Street in Herkimer.
Baumann works at the Nice N' Easy just feet away from the scene. She says at this point, she's just happy to be alive.
"We had a couple people coming in telling us he has a list of people he was after so you gotta wonder. We're just hoping and praying if he does have a list, we're not on that list," says Baumann.
And just a mile away, 2 more people were fatally shot and 2 others wounded at John's Barber Shop in Mohawk. Community members say they're still in shock.
"My neighbor pounds on my door saying don't go outside, 2 people are dead," says Aaron Burkhart, resident of West Main Street in Mohawk.
"A couple popping noises, never thought it was gun shots and after we heard sirens from police i ran out of my conference room and we realized something happening," says Joe Cirillo, resident of West Main Street in Mohawk.
Residents are still trying to grasp how a tragedy like this could devastate there small community.
"Mohawk is usually not the kind of place that something like that happens," says Burkhart.
"Everyone knows everyone here and it is absolutely chilling to think that somebody up the street would start opening fire on random people and realizing that could have been any of us on Main Street, that could have been my office," says Cirillo.
And as we've told you, at this point, the shooter is still on the loose. The Mobile Crisis Assessment team is stationed at the Mohawk Municipal Building on Columbia Street. We're told crisis counselors are on hand.
