The suspect, identified by state police as Kurt Meyers, also is believed to have blown up his house in the area, located about 70 miles west-northwest of Albany, according to a federal law enforcement source briefed on the investigation.
The shootings were reported Wednesday morning in the neighboring communities of Herkimer and Mohawk, CNN affiliate WKTV reported.
The incidents prompted officials to put schools on lockdown in Herkimer and Mohawk, as well in as the nearby municipalities of Ilion, Frankfort, Little Falls, Richfield Springs, Dolgeville, West Winfield, Bridgewater and Newport, said Mark Vivacqua, the Herkimer school superintendent.
“Everything is calm” within the schools, Vivacqua said.
Little Falls Hospital, located in the vicinity of the shootings,also was lockdown Wednesday afternoon, a hospital representative said.
CNN’s Deborah Feyerick, Jason Kessler, Eden Pontz and Leigh Remizowski contributed to this report.
