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Case file

2012 Webster Shooting

SOLVED2012191 Lake Road, West Webster, New York3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

In the early morning hours of December 24, 2012, William H. Spengler Jr., a 62-year-old resident of West Webster, New York, a suburb of Rochester, set fire to his own house at 191 Lake Road and to his family car. He then armed himself with three firearms — a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver, a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, and a .223-caliber Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle — and positioned himself on an earthen berm across the street from his burning home. When firefighters arrived shortly after 5:30 a.m. to fight the blaze, Spengler opened fire on them without warning.

Two firefighters, 43-year-old Michael Chiapperini, a past chief of the West Webster Fire District who also worked as a lieutenant and public information officer for the Webster Police Department, and 19-year-old Tomasz Kaczowka, who also worked as a 911 dispatcher, were killed. Two additional firefighters, Joseph Hofstetter and Theodore Scardino, were wounded and hospitalized in serious but stable condition; a police officer, Jon Ritter, sustained a minor injury when a bullet struck his patrol car's windshield.

Police responded with an armored vehicle to evacuate wounded and trapped first responders as well as 33 nearby civilians. Spengler exchanged gunfire with police before fleeing on foot and dying by suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His body was not discovered until nearly six hours later. Because of the standoff, firefighters could not resume battling the blaze until 11:30 a.m., by which time six houses had burned down and two more were rendered uninhabitable; more than 30 residents were evacuated and sheltered on city buses.

The severely burned body of Spengler's 67-year-old sister, Cheryl, with whom he lived, was found inside the house. Investigators also recovered a typewritten letter from Spengler indicating his intent to ambush first responders and burn the neighborhood, though it offered no clear motive.

Spengler had previously served 17 years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter for killing his 92-year-old grandmother with a hammer in 1980, a conviction that legally barred him from possessing firearms. Investigators determined that the rifle and shotgun used in the attack had been purchased in June 2010 by Dawn Nguyen, a neighbor, in what authorities described as an illegal straw purchase made on Spengler's behalf. Nguyen was charged federally with making a false statement in a firearm purchase and with a state charge of filing a false business record; she was sentenced in 2014 to eight years in prison and was released to a halfway house in December 2020.

The attack, along with the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting ten days earlier, contributed to passage of New York's SAFE Act, which included a provision — known as the "Webster Provision" — increasing penalties for the murder of a first responder to life without parole.

Key facts

Victims
Rose Spengler, Jon Ritter, Theodore Scardino, Cheryl Spengler, Michael Chiapperini, Joseph Hofstetter, Tomasz Kaczowka
Date
2012
Location
191 Lake Road, West Webster, New York
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1980

    William Spengler killed his 92-year-old grandmother, Rose Spengler, with a hammer; he was convicted of manslaughter and served 17 years in prison.

  2. 2010-06

    A Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle and a Mossberg shotgun later used in the attack were purchased at Gander Mountain in Henrietta, New York, by Dawn Nguyen.

  3. 2012-12-24

    Spengler set fire to his home and vehicle in West Webster, New York, then ambushed arriving firefighters, killing two and wounding two others plus a police officer, before dying by suicide.

  4. 2012-12-28

    U.S. Attorney William Hochul announced Dawn Nguyen had been arrested and charged in connection with the illegal purchase of the firearms used in the attack.

  5. 2014

    Dawn Nguyen was sentenced to eight years in prison for her role in the illegal straw purchase of the firearms.

  6. 2020-12

    Dawn Nguyen was released to a halfway house.

Best coverage

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People

  • Rose Spengler

    VICTIM

    92-year-old grandmother of William Spengler, killed by him with a hammer in 1980.

  • Jon Ritter

    VICTIM

    Police officer slightly injured when a bullet struck his patrol car's windshield.

  • Theodore Scardino

    VICTIM

    Firefighter wounded by gunfire, shot in the chest and knee; hospitalized in serious condition.

  • Cheryl Spengler

    VICTIM

    67-year-old sister of William Spengler; her severely burned body was found in the burned home.

  • Michael Chiapperini

    VICTIM

    43-year-old firefighter and past chief of the West Webster Fire District, also a lieutenant and public information officer for the Webster Police Department; killed in the attack.

  • William Spengler

    CONVICTED

    Perpetrator of the shooting and arson attack; previously convicted of manslaughter in 1980 for killing his grandmother. Died by suicide at the scene of the 2012 attack.

  • Joseph Hofstetter

    VICTIM

    Firefighter wounded by gunfire, shot in the pelvis; hospitalized in serious condition.

  • Tomasz Kaczowka

    VICTIM

    19-year-old firefighter and 911 dispatcher; killed in the attack.

  • Dawn Nguyen

    CONVICTED

    Neighbor who purchased the firearms used in the attack in an illegal straw purchase; convicted on federal and state charges and sentenced to eight years in prison in 2014.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

191 Lake Road, West Webster, New York

43.2369, -77.5228

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On December 24, 2012, William Spengler set fire to his home in West Webster, New York, then ambushed and shot at arriving firefighters and police, killing two firefighters and wounding two more first responders before killing himself. His sister's body was later found burned in the house.
Where did the shooting happen?
191 Lake Road, West Webster, New York.
Who was convicted?
William Spengler (Perpetrator of the shooting and arson attack; previously convicted of manslaughter in 1980 for killing his grandmother. Died by suicide at the scene of the 2012 attack.) and Dawn Nguyen (Neighbor who purchased the firearms used in the attack in an illegal straw purchase; convicted on federal and state charges and sentenced to eight years in prison in 2014.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
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Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDIC2012 Webster shootingWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — ABC NewsABC News · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — CNNCNN · 2026-07-10