100s of Canadian firefighters attend funerals in New York
 

First responders from the U.S. and Canada were honouring one of their own Sunday afternoon in upstate New York, where the first of two funerals is being held for firefighters slain on Christmas Eve.

Holding caps to their chests, hundreds of uniformed emergency services personnel filed past the flag-draped coffin of 43-year-old Police Lt. Michael Chiapperini Sunday afternoon in a local high school auditorium to honour the firefighter, who died in the line of duty.

A funeral procession that included a pipe and drum band accompanied mourners into the auditorium.

Canadian first responders travelled to upstate New York to attend the funerals of Chiapperini and his 19-year-old firefighter colleague Tomasz Kaczowka, who were shot to death while responding to reports of a house and car fire in the Rochester suburb on Christmas Eve. Police allege that accused gunman William Spengler deliberately set his house ablaze, luring emergency service responders to him before opening fire. Two others were wounded in the ambush.

A funeral for Kaczowka is scheduled for Monday.

Among those attending the funerals in Webster, N.Y. were nearly 100 firefighters with Toronto Fire Services. The Toronto firefighters left for the funerals in two separate groups on Saturday and Sunday.

Capt. Mike Ogle of Toronto Fire Services said it?s not uncommon for firefighters and police officers to travel out of town to pay their respects to fallen colleagues.

?It?s something we?ve always done when something like this happens,? he told CP24 on Sunday. ?These firefighters from our association are heading down on their own time.?

Ogle added: ?You?re going to see a huge contingent of firefighters and police officers there.?

Several local hotels are offering reduced rates for firefighters making the three-and-a-half hour drive to Webster. Community florists reporting being inundated by requests for flowers, and the local fire department has instead suggested that attendees donate to their volunteer firefighter?s association.

Among the funeral attendees from Toronto Fire Services were members of its pipe and drum band, which is said to be affiliated with Webster?s fire department.

As North American firefighters mourn their fallen colleagues, police continue to investigate their deaths.

Last Friday, authorities announced that a 24-year-old woman had been charged in connection with the purchase of guns used in the alleged ambush.

Due to his criminal past, accused gunman William Spengler was not allowed to own firearms. Police have charged Dawn Nguyen of Greece, N.Y. with making a false statement in connection with the purchase of a semiautomatic rifle and shotgun used that day.

Police assert that Nguyen, who used to live next door to Spengler, purchased the weapons in 2010 on her former neighbour?s behalf.

Two other firefighters wounded during the ordeal, Joseph Hofstetter and Theodore Scardino, are said to be on the mend after having their conditions upgraded to ?satisfactory? last week.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/canadian...ters-1.1095734

You have to ask yourself what was Spengler doing out of prison?
Had he been given the death penalty when he killed or (beat to death with a hammer) his blind 92 year-old grandmother… this wouldn't have happened.

Didn't the state of NY have the death penalty at one time - and revoked it?

Definitely - those firefighters would still be alive today if he'd been given the death penalty. Or at the very least served an actual life sentence instead of just 17 years.

I would like to see the members of his parole board comment on why they thought someone who beat his grandmother to death with a hammer would now be a productive, safe, contributing, member of society.

edit, and his neighbor will be made an example of, stupid woman.


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Not to mention his sister is also missing and presumed dead.

I'm shocked that you actually agree with me. I thought Canadians were against the death penalty.

A common misconception.

Actually, 63% of Canadians would like to see the death penalty re-instated - according to a poll in Feb/2012.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/p...lty-poll-finds

I don't get this either. This was a brutal crime he committed, using a hammer to murder his own grandmother. Once you do something like this... There is no coming back. He should have had bread and water daily living out the rest of his life in a cell in total darkness.

How can someone on a parole board look at these facts and say, "Yeah, he's good to go. No threat to society. Open the door."

This is one town over from me, so we're getting pretty good reporting...surprisingly the most accurate and up to date is coming via Facebook.

The sister's body was found among the charred home remains, a few days ago now. I can't recall at the moment if there was mention of a gunshot wound.

NYS had the Death Penalty, revoked it and have it again. Though I don't think ANYONE has received it since it's reinstatement. We definitely haven't executed anyone.

And that's the problem with life sentences. Life doesn't mean life. Prison overcrowding, sympathetic liberal judges who think the sentence was too harsh somewhere down the road 10, 20, 30 years and they let them out. I don't know happened in this case but it seemed like he was sentenced for 17 years and then was let out.

Problem with the death penalty laws right now is the appeals process goes on way too long 10 to 12 years and millions of taxpayer dollars is just ludicrous. There are certain cases where one appeal and there's enough evidence to prove the crime was committed or the person and/or the person confesses to the crime, Jeffrey Dahmer and Charles Manson etc. These cases are no-brainers. Problem is liberal judges have such a hard time with sentencing anybody to death that even if the jury recommends the death penalty they will probably reduce their sentence to life.

This crazy bastard probably beat her to death with a hammer. I mean what are the chances?