Police: Webster shooter had 'mental health issues'

William Spengler apparently set fire to his Webster, N.Y., home early Christmas Eve day then shot four firefighters and an off-duty police officer before fatally shooting himself. In the chaos after the shootings, seven homes went up in flames. /Monroe County Sheriff's Office image


William Spengler served a lengthy prison sentence for manslaughter after beating his grandmother with a hammer in 1980.

"Just looking at the history, obviously this is an individual who had a lot of problems, to kill his grandmother. And I'm sure there were ... mental health issues involved."
- Police Chief Gerald Pickering, Webster, N.Y., Dec. 24, 2012