William Spengler Used Bushmaster Assault Rifle in Fatal Shooting of Webster Firefighters, Left Chilling Suicide Note

WEBSTER SHOOTING:  Ex-con William Spengler, who shot four firefighters, killing Tomasz Kaczowka and Lt. Mike Chiapperini, wounding two others — Joseph Hofsetter and Theodore Scardino, used a Bushmaster assault weapon to carry out his double murder-suicide. Police said he left a chilling typewritten note saying he wanted to “do what I like doing best, killing people.” As firefighters arrived on at his home, which he set afire Christmas Eve morning, he opened fire on the firefighters with the Bushmaster, the same semi-automatic, military-style weapon used by Adam Lanza during the December 14 shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., killing 20 children and six adults.

According to the suicide note, William Spengler wanted to see ”how much of the neighborhood I can burn down.” He set his car and house on fire, which also spread to several more houses. The note did not give a motive for his actions. His sister, Cheryl Spengler, who lived in the home, is unaccounted for and could be dead. Spengler was also armed with a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver, a Mossman 12-gauge shotgun and the Bushmaster rifle. William Spengler was a convicted felon and could not legally own a firearm, but it seems that didn’t deter him. Police are investigating how he obtained those weapons.

The latest news about this tragedy comes as AK-47 inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov in intensive care following health scare. According to RT.com:

93-year-old Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the world’s most popular automatic rifle, has been admitted to a cardiology hospital in Izhevsk, in the Urals. The engineer’s health is said to have worsened during a routine check up on December 20, with Kalashnikov residing in intensive care ever since. His son insists the inventor is just undergoing routine procedures.