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As officials gather early evidence from the 14 shooting deaths at an immigration services center in Binghamton, N.Y., they face essential questions having to do with motive and location. Why did the attacker act, and why did he choose that place?

What is known for sure is that a gunman entered the building of the American Civic Association in the city some 150 miles northwest of New York, purposely killed 13 people with two handguns, then turned the gun on himself. Four other people were wounded, and another 37 were safely removed from the building by SWAT teams and other law-enforcement officials, according to Binghamton police chief Joseph Zikuski, who spoke at a Friday afternoon press conference with Mayor Matthew Ryan and New York Gov. David Paterson.

Officials declined to comment on early media reports regarding the alleged killer’s name and ethnicity. But some experts say the location may have been significant.

“It seems there are two possibilities: a hate crime aimed at immigrants, or, if he was an immigrant, it could be someone who felt that he was not well served by the center,” says criminologist James Alan Fox of Northeastern University in Boston. “But, of course, at this point it’s all speculative based on other cases.”

“It’s extremely rare when these things happen, but when it does the choice of location often has important significance. It represents a place the person blames in some regard,” Dr. Fox says. “It’s happened at city halls, courts, legal offices. The victims are just killed because they happen to be there.”

From his diplomatic trip to Europe, President Obama issued a statement regarding the shooting: “Michelle and I were shocked and deeply saddened to learn about the act of senseless violence in Binghamton, N.Y. today. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and the people of Binghamton.”

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