Update, 8:00 p.m.: Local media report no change in a standoff in Herkimer, where police this afternoon surrounded an abandoned building believed to hold Kurt Meyers, 64, of Mohawk, suspected in shootings this morning that killed four and injured two in Herkimer and Mohawk..

At a 5 p.m.press conference, State Police Superintendent Joseph D’amico said troopers wanted no further casualties, and were in “no rush” to bring the standoff to a conclusion. D’amico identified the four killed as 68 year-old Harry Montgomery of Herkimer, Michael Rancier, 57, also of Herkimer, Thomas Stefka, and Michael Renshaw, who D’amico said was a 2o-year veteran corrections officer.

At the press conference, Gov. Andrew Cuomo described the two communities as “peaceful, quiet” places, “where you could say, ‘this could never happen here.'”

Several nearby school districts were on lockdown today. Shortly after 6 p.m., WBIX radio station, which had been reporting live from the scene all day, reported that Herkimer parents were being allowed to pick up children if they came in person with photo identification. The Utica Dispatch reported all students had been dismissed by 8 p.m.

Update, 5:05 p.m.: State police say the stand-off with suspected Herkimer shooter Kurt Meyers continues at this hour. Multiple police agencies are gathered outside an abandoned building, where shots were fired earlier. Speaking at State Police Barracks in Herkimer, Gov. Andrew Cuomo calls the situation there “very bleak.” He said police have identified “no apparent motive” at this time. The governor praised the multiple police agencies involved in the ongoing standoff. He warned people in the vicinity to stay in their homes.

Update, 3:40pm: Here’s a link to a photo of the suspect, Kurt Meyers, provided by state police.

Update, 2:54pm: State police and Gov. Cuomo are expected to speak presently. Watch here: (live video has ended)

Update, 2:40pm: WIBX reporter on the scene in Herkimer says he was moved by police “because he was in the line of fire”. Then the reporter said he saw bullet holes in two nearby cars, presumably caused by shots fired from a building the police have surrounded.

Meanwhile, our friends at WRVO have posted a site where you can watch the press conference of Gov. Cuomo and state police when it happens. That site is here.

Update, 2:30pm: WIBX reporting live that they are hearing more gunshots right now at a stand-off with police in downtown Herkimer. According to the reporter, police were communicating with the suspect through a bullhorn.

Update, 1:30pm: Governor Cuomo and state police will give a press conference in half an hour. Meanwhile, local media are reporting gunshots in Herkimer:News Radio 950 WIBX@WIBXnews tweets: “Snipers remain on top of the Herkimer Evening telegram building. 5-6 gunshots in the last minute and a half #herkimercoshootings“. WIBX reporting from the scene live.

Update, 12:36pm: The Utica Observer-Dispatch and WKTV are reporting Mohawk police chief has identified the suspected shooter as 64 year-old Kurt Meyers. Police say he is armed and dangerous and has yet to be apprehended.

According to the Governor’s office, Andrew Cuomo is on his way to Herkimer.

Update, 11:52 The Utica Observer-Dispatch tweets that police “may have located the shooter who killed 4 and injured 2 in Herkimer, Mohawk. SWAT and helicopter converging on Herkimer jewelry store.” (@UticaOD). They’ve updated that story here, here’s what they’re saying (as of 11:38)

Police may have located the shooter responsible for killing four people and injuring two others in Herkimer and Mohawk today. Swat teams and a police helicopter have converged on Freddy’s Jewelers, located next to Glory Days, on Main Street in Herkimer. It appears police believe the suspect may be in the building.

Meanwhile, WKTV reports the following:

Initial reports stated a suspect fled the shooting scenes in a red jeep with a black top. According to radio transmissions, the vehicle was located shortly after 10 a.m. in Herkimer, but the suspect, said to be in possession of a long gun, was still on the loose. Shortly before 11 a.m., eyewitnesses said there was a large police presence at an apartment on North Main Street in Herkimer, with guns drawn.

Initial reports had the suspect fleeing the shooting scene in a red jeep with a black top.

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Shootings in the Herkimer County town of Herkimer (and across town lines in Mohawk) has left four people dead and at least two injured this morning. The Utica Observer-Dispatch offers a good account of the shootings.

Firefighters also battled a possibly-related structure fire at a building in Mohawk, that reports indicated was where the suspect lived. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but police were seen removing a dozen long guns (the suspect used a long gun in the shooting) from the building just before 11:00 am.

The Albany Times-Union reports police are still searching for the suspect in the shootings. (This article also has a running Twitter feed on the shooting for up-to-the-minute news; it’s right on top of the page.)

Here’s a description, from the Observer-Dispatch:

Reports indicate police are searching for a 50- to 60-year-old slender white male, about 5-foot-11, with white hair and a white beard, last seen wearing a flannel shirt.

The suspect shot and killed two people this morning at a car wash in Herkimer, and two more at a barbershop in the village of Mohawk. Herkimer Community College and local schools are in lockdown.

We’ll update this story as it develops.