Army: 12 die, 31 wounded in Fort Hood shooting

[Conall Crow]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_fort_hood_shooting

FORT HOOD, Texas – A soldier opened fire at a U.S. Army base in Fort Hood, Texas on Thursday, unleashing a stream of gunfire that left 12 people dead and 31 wounded. Authorities killed the gunman, and apprehended two other soldiers suspected in what appears to be the worst mass shooting at a U.S. military base.

The shooting began around 1:30 p.m., Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said at a news conference. He said all the casualties took place at the base's Soldier Readiness Center, where soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening.

"It's a terrible tragedy. It's stunning," Cone said.

A law enforcement official identified the shooting suspect as Army Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan. The official said Hasan, believed to be in his late 30s, was killed after opening fire at the base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

The official says investigators are trying to determine if Hasan was his birth name, or if he changed his name and converted to Islam at some point in his life.

Cone said the soldier used two handguns in the attack. It was not clear if the gunman had stopped to reload.

A graduation ceremony for soldiers who finished college courses while deployed was going on in an auditorium at the Readiness Center at the time of the shooting, said Sgt. Rebekah Lampam, a Fort Hood spokeswoman.

Greg Schanepp, U.S. Rep. John Carter's regional director in Texas, was representing Carter at the graduation, said John Stone, a spokesman for Carter, whose district includes the Army post.

Schanepp was at the ceremony when a soldier who had been shot in the back came running toward him and alerted him of the shooting, Stone said. The soldier told Schanepp not to go in the direction of the shooter, he said. Stone said he believes Schanepp was in the theater.

The base was locked down after the shootings. The wounded were dispersed among hospitals in central Texas, Cone said.

The shootings on the Texas military base stirred memories of other recent mass shootings in the United States, including 13 dead at a New York immigrant center in March, 10 killed during a gunman's rampage across Alabama in March and 32 killed in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history at Virginia Tech in 2007.

Around the country, some bases stepped up security precautions, but no others were locked down.

"The bottom line for us is that we are increasing security at our gates because the threat hasn't yet been defined, and we're reminding our Marines to be vigilant in their areas of responsibility," said Capt. Rob Dolan, public affairs officer for the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz.

In Washington, President Barack Obama called the shooting "a horrific outburst of violence." He said it's a tragedy to lose a soldier overseas and even more horrifying when they come under fire at an Army base on American soil.

"We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident," the commander in chief said. "We are going to stay on this."

Covering 339 square miles, Fort Hood is the largest active duty armored post in the United States. Home to about 52,000 troops as of earlier this year, the sprawling base is located halfway between Austin and Waco.

About a mile from Fort Hood's east gate, Cynthia Thomas, director of Under the Hood Cafe, a local coffee shop and nonprofit military support center, has been calling soldiers and friends on the post to make sure they're OK.

"It's chaotic," Thomas said, as a SWAT team just drove by. "They're just saying that they're under attack they don't know what's going on. ... The phones are jammed. Everybody is calling family members and friends. Soldiers are running around with M-16s."

Fort Hood officially opened on Sept. 18, 1942, and was named in honor of Gen. John Bell Hood. It has been continuously used for armored training and is charged with maintaining readiness for combat missions.

[Lady Sarah]

Hasan is his birth name and according to reports from his cousin, was a born Muslim.

He was a mental health doctor who came to Hood just a few months ago from Walter Reed where he had received a bad performance review.

Reports are also that he was the victim of repeated harassment (as yet still unconfirmed speculations on this), he'd hired an attorney because of that - but the meat of the issue was that he was due to ship out later this month - and did NOT want to go.

The lockdown has, as of 7:15ish, been lifted across the base.

Please keep the families of the fallen servicemen/women in your thoughts, as well as the wounded and their families.

[Selena]

Our very own Reaper is there right now. This is where he works as a civilian police officer. He was called in early to help out. We should know more soon.

[Lady Sarah]

From the press conference not more than 10 mins ago - Hasan did not die in the shooting as originally reported. He is alive and in CID custody. Also, the first responder, the civilian police officer, is also alive. Lt. Col Cones refused to speak on Hasan any further than what was said and he very deliberately did not answer questions about the civilian police officer.

Nothing has been confirmed about his unhappiness at being deployed later this month, his motives, etc. And more than likely nothing will be confirmed for at least another 24-48 hours while the investigation is carried out.

[Phoenix McHeit]

I was riveted to this all evening, and again this morning. What a horrible tragedy.

My prayers are going out to all involved; may they find peace.

Heartbreaking...

[Lady Anne]

Our heartfelt prayers go out to all our military and their families during these trying times, especially to those who were directly affected by this tragedy.


May God Bless All Who Serve.

[Ysobelle]

Barb and I went to the diner in the cemetery this evening up in Roxborough, and our waitress' son was there. She couldn't get hold of him til 10.30 last night. She said she's STILL coming down from that. He did two tours in Afghanistan, and this was the most terrified she's ever been.

[Lady Hefron]

God bless the families and God Rest our fallen Heros.

[UnicornBee]

It is a terrible tragedy indeed. I am grateful that my husbands best friend was transferred to Ft. Mead last year. He was in Ft. Hood before then.

May their souls rest easy now.

[Bronya]

I guess I m glad my daughter's SIL got transferred from there to Iraq. FIrst time we have ever felt that. Prayers to all of the families.