Maria Zobniw, a 60-year-old woman, was tragically killed on April 3, 2009, in a violent mass shooting at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, New York. She was a part-time caseworker at the center, an organization that provides services to immigrants and refugees. On that Friday morning, a gunman named Jiverly Antares Wong entered the building and opened fire, taking the lives of 13 people and wounding four others before taking his own life.
Born in a displaced persons camp in
Landeck, Austria, after World War II, Maria immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of four, passing through Ellis Island to begin a new life in the Ukrainian community of Binghamton's First Ward. She was a dedicated member of her community, having attended local Catholic schools and graduated from SUNY Binghamton. Maria was deeply committed to her Ukrainian heritage, ensuring her children were fluent in the language and understood their cultural identity. She was married for 37 years and was a loving mother to her three children.
The perpetrator of the horrific attack was identified as 41-year-old Jiverly Antares Wong, a resident of nearby Johnson City. Wong, an immigrant from Vietnam, had taken English classes at the center. His motive appeared to be fueled by a sense of persecution and difficulty in finding employment. On the day of the shooting, he barricaded the back door of the civic association with his car before entering the front and beginning his rampage. The attack was swift and brutal, creating a scene of terror and disbelief within the community center.
The shooting at the American Civic Association was a devastating event for the Binghamton community. The 13 victims, including Maria Zobniw, came from diverse backgrounds, reflecting the very community the center served. The incident left a lasting scar on the city, which continues to remember those who were lost in the senseless act of violence. In the aftermath, Wong was found to have died by suicide at the scene, bringing an end to the immediate rampage but leaving a community to grapple with the profound loss.
