Manhunt ends as NY murder suspect shot by police

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Police search for a gunman in the town of Herkimer, New York on Mar. 13, 2013. Multiple people were shot at two different crime scenes, one in the village of Herkimer and one in the village of Mohawk. (Leigh Isaacson, WSYR-TV)

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Published: 3/14 11:46 am

Updated: 3/14 12:52 pm

HERKIMER, N.Y. -- The man wanted for allegedly shooting four people to death in central New York state was himself shot and killed by police as they closed in on him at an abandoned building Thursday morning.

Authorities -- including the New York State Police and U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) -- spent all of Wednesday searching for suspect Kurt Myers, 64, after they say he shot four men and critically wounded two others at two different crime scenes in Herkimer County.

According to police, Myers' rampage started when he first set a building on fire in the town of Mohawk, which is a village home to less than 3,000 people. Officials say he then went to a nearby barber shop and shot the owner, a customer, and two others inside. Harry Montgomery, 68, and Michael Rancear, 57, both died at the scene. The owner, John Seymour, and customer Dan Haslauer both remain in a nearby hospital in critical condition.

According to authorities, Myers then traveled to Herkimer just a few miles away, and opened fire at a Jiffy Lube service center -- killing employee Thomas Stefka and customer Michael Renshaw.

Police believe Myers used a shotgun in all of the shootings.

A short time after the shootings, authorities converged on a business block in Herkimer after Myers' Jeep was spotted parked behind a jewelry store. A SWAT team and two police helicopters were called in to help search for the suspect, but authorities did not get a location fix on Myers until Thursday.

Authorities identified Kurt Myers, 64, as a suspect in the shooting deaths of four people in Herkimer County, NY on Mar. 13, 2013. (WSYR-TV)

Officers tracked Myers to an abandoned building in Herkimer Thursday morning. Authorities said as they entered the building, Myers opened fire -- killing an FBI police dog. The officers returned fire, fatally wounding Myers. No officers were injured in the gunfire.

"We commend the courage and extraordinary efforts of the state police, the FBI, and local law enforcement officials in finding the suspect and ending this horrific spree of violence," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement released Thursday morning. "It is now time for mourning those who we lost in this senseless act of violence."

A motive for the shootings was not immediately clear. According to WSYR-TV, Myers' only prior crime was a DUI charge from 1973.

Police and area residents described Myers as a loner.

"Not a very sociable man," resident Bob Sportello told WSYR-TV. "He... kind of keeps to himself."

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Information from WSYR-TV

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