Fort Hood, Texas is the scene of multiple shooting murders today.
Update 11-7-09:
The wounded now stands at 38.
Hasan is reportedly paralyzed and unconscience. He was moved to another hospital today.
Sergeant Kimberly Munley, the civilian police officer to took Hasan down, was shot at least twice in her leg(s). Reports are unclear - but indicate a wound to the upper leg and thigh.
A reader reminds me that it was a female security guard that shot and killed Matthew Murray who
burst into a Colorado Springs church in December 2007. He killed 4 innocents, and
wounded 5 before Jeanne Assam shot and killed Murray. Assam was a
security guard with law enforcement experience. Thank you BobF.
Update 11-7-09 7:44 a.m. (Friday):
Another victim of Nadal Malik Hasan has died. The number dead is now 13.
Hasan is on a ventilator and unconscience. Authorities have not been able to question him.
This morning I hear that Nadal Malik Hasan was yelling Allah and/or God is great and/or Allah Akhbar as he shot his victims.
The wounded police officer shot Hasan at least 4 times.
Hasan was inside a building for at least some of the killings. He jumped on a table and shot "down" at his victims - at head level.
Update 8:18 p.m. CDT: The shooter at Fort Hood, Nadal Malik Hasan is not dead. He is alive and in the hospital, according to Lt. General Robert Cone, the Commanding General at Fort. Hood. The General said that Hasan's "death is not imminient."
A civilian police officer earlier reported dead, is alive. The office is female and she shot the shooter. The officer is in surgery.
Original reporting below.
Reports on Fox News this minute says the FBI says the shootings are not terrorism. One shooter is in custody. This is a developing story. Update 3:55 p.m. CST:
Update 7:00 p.m.: Fox has just announced that the lock-down at Ft. Hood has been lifted.
Breaking 6:47 p.m. CDT: Another person in custody. Rep. John Carter (R-TX) says another man is now in custody. Two have been released, and another man now in custody. Carter says his sources heard both small arms fire and automatic weapon fire. The handguns were 9mm's. The speculation is that it would be very difficult to shoot 13 and wound
Update as I sign off tonight: It appears that no one is still in custody other than Major Nadal Malik Hasan. The commanding general said at the last press conference, there was only one shooter.
Update 7:00 p.m. CDT: synopsis as it is known now:
His cousin said on Fox News, that he was not a Muslim convert. He was born in Virginia. According to his cousin, he was born in America, his parents are American's - immigrated from Jordan. Hasan was born Muslim. His name
From ABC: "...he completed a fellowship in Disaster and Preventative Psychiatry at the Center for Traumatic Stress there. In other words, this cretin was treating the most severely injured of our military. He graduated Virginia Tech University and was a member of ROTC.
The same report says that he had a Maryland telephone number.
An unconfirmed report on Fox News quotes other soldiers saying Hasan thought Muslims should stand up against the fight against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he voiced that opinion openly.
Scott White Hospital is asking for blood donations for the wounded.
Update 4:37 p.m. ABC is reporting the name of one gunman is Major Malik Nadal Hasan or Major Nadal Malik Hasan. Reuters is reporting the same name. From Reuters:
The official [unnamed and unauthorized] says investigators are trying to determine if Hasan was his birth name, or if he changed his name and converted to the Islamic faith at some point in his life.
Fox just this moment 5:02 p.m. CDT confirmed the name Malik Nadal Hasan. Hasan is believed to be 39 or 40 years. old. The two suspects may not have been a part of a conspiracy, and may not have been shooters themselves. Scales says other soldiers pointed authorities in the direction of these two.
Maj. Gen. Bob Scales on Fox: Not the act of a "crazy," very precise, "execution-style" according to what a soldier told Scales personally.
The same ABC report linked above says the extent of the injuries of victims "varies significantly." No matter the name of this person, a U.S. Army officer has killed his own.
4:54 p.m. CDT: The House House of Representatives just performed a "moment of silence." I'm sure many, in and around Ft. Hood, would have appreciated a prayer.
Texas Governor Rick Perry says only one shooter is dead and two are in custody.
Update 4:35 p.m. CDT: KUSV radio's Brenda Price: the shooter is from Virginia and DID convert to Islam. She is not giving the shooter's name because Fox will not release it until it comes from the U.S. Army.
Fox is suggesting this as a possible stress-related shooting.
Update 4:25 p.m. CDT: Shep Smith and Kay Bailey Hutchison are dancing all around giving the name of the U.S. Army Major, which MSNBC says is an Arabic name. They both have the name but will not release it. Shep Smith said to Hutchison: "the name tells us a lot doesn't it, Senator?"
Update 3:55 p.m. CDT: There is an MSNBC report a few minutes before 4 p.m. CDT, that says "the shooter was shot to death." In this same report, "a senior administration official told NBC News analyst Roger Cressy that:
...the suspect who was in custody was an Army major with an Arabic-sounding name.4:20 p.m. CDT: From Fox News' Jonathan Hunt: The shooter carried two handguns. A military analyst, Major General Bob Scales, said to kill 12 persons with handguns, the shooter had be very skilled and well trained - had to be premeditated. Jonathan Hunt also said that Scales said the slow information coming out from the Army is unusual.
Katherine Herridge is reminding us the Fort Dix 6 plot that was stopped before it began. She is not saying this is a similar situation.
Fox has said the military has confirmed that
All of the injured have been transported to an off-base hospital.
Kay Bailey Hutchison says that the Army officer referred to as the "primary shooter" was a U.S. Army officer. MSNBC reported above that the man is a Major and he was to soon be deployed to Iraq and was upset about that.
According to Hutchison, two adjacent building are being searched right now.
Update 4:11 p.m. CDT: Fox just reported
The "primary shooter" was shot
Reports are mixed. I'm sure some of this will need to be corrected.
At least
The military base is shut down, all roads are sealed in and out, and commanders are verifying the whereabouts of their troops and the families of the troops.
Fort Hood, Texas is the home of the First Army Division West, 1st Calvary Division, the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment, 41st Fires Brigade, the 13th Sustainment Command, the 89th Military Police brigade and the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade. The base is located about halfway between Austin and Waco. This military installation is said to have "suffered the greatest number of casualities of all American beses in the war on Iraq (see ABC linked above)
Updates:
This officer is alive and reportedly in surgery. She shot the shooter.
An aide to Rep. John Carter (R-TX) who represents the area where Ft. Hood is located, was on the base attending a graduation service at the time of the shootings, and said that a soldier with "blood on his uniform ran past him and said a man was shooting." This from the MSNBC report linked above.
Late evening reports say (unconfirmed) that today he was giving away some of his property (furniture was specifically mentioned).
See information on Nadal Malik Hasan here.
|
|