U.S. Army Psychiatrist Allegedly Carried Out Massacre at Fort Hood

November 6th, 2009

Update: And Now… “Men in Suits” Take Another Suspect Away

Via: CNN:

Surviving Fort Hood shooting suspect arrested at golf course, officer says
November 5, 2009 — Updated 2334 GMT (0734 HKT)

(CNN) — A senior officer who was playing golf Thursday near Fort Hood, Texas, told CNN he witnessed the arrest of one of the two surviving suspects of the shooting at the Army installation.

Shortly after the shooting, the officer said, military police told him to clear the course and he saw other MPs surround the building that held the golf carts, he said.

The senior officer said he ducked into a nearby house for cover as 30 to 40 cars carrying MPs approached.

He said he saw a soldier in battle-dress uniform, his hands in the air. The MPs ordered him to lie on the ground and open his uniform, presumably to ensure he was not carrying explosives, the senior officer said.

He said an MP told him that authorities considered the man to be a suspect in the shootings after having overheard the man say he was with the shooter.

The man was surrounded for 25 to 30 minutes, until a convoy of vehicles arrived, led by a Ford Crown Victoria and carrying men in suits, and he was taken away, the senior officer said.

The golf course is about 2.5 miles from Fort Hood, the officer told CNN.

—End Update—

Update: The “Gunmen” Story That Will Soon Disappear

Via: Dow Jones:

Second Gunman In Custody At Army’s Fort Hood -Report

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

A second gunman is in custody after a shooting at the Army’s Fort Hood in Texas in which at least seven people were killed and 12 wounded, reports KCEN-TV of Waco. The report comes about two hours after a first suspect was captured, shortly after gunfire broke out.

Authorities say the gunmen were dressed in fatigues, though it’s not confirmed whether they are military personnel. It’s also not known if the victims were military personnel or civilians.

The incident reportedly began at Fort Hood’s theater and then moved to the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, Killeen City Public Information Officer Hillary Shine told Fox News. A graduation ceremony was scheduled to take place Thursday.

—End Update—

Via: ABC News:

Thirteen people died and 30 were wounded at a Texas military post in a shooting rampage that officials believe was carried out by an Army psychiatrist who was about to be deployed to Iraq.

The suspected gunman has been identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. Hasan would have been deployed to Iraq later this month, an Army official said.

It would have been his first deployment, two sources told ABC News.

Hasan is believed to be of Palestinian origin: His grandfather moved to the United States in the 1940s. One of Hasan’s two brothers recently moved to Ramallah and works in the West Bank, the sources said. Hasan’s family is said to own a number of apartments in Ramallah.

The family has refused to speak to reporters, but a person close to the family told ABC News that Hasan had told his family he was unhappy about his impending deployment abroad.

The person also said that all three brothers — a lawyer, a professor and a psychiatrist — are highly educated. They lost both parents to cancer. Hasan’s mother came from al Bireh, a Palestinian town close to Ramallah. She was traumatized by her experience in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, when she was 15, according to the source.

Hasan was initially reported to have been killed but Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone told a late-night news conference that the suspect was wounded and in custody. Cone declined to comment on Hasan’s medical condition was but said he is expected to live.

Hasan has not spoken to authorities, Cone said.

Two other soldiers were taken into custody but were later released.

Hasan’s cousin, Nader Hasan, issued a statement late Thursday. “We are shocked and saddened by the terrible events at Fort Hood today. We send the families of the victims our most heartfelt sympathies,” the statement read.

“Nidal was an American citizen. He was born in Arlington, Va., and raised here in America. … Our family loves America. We are proud of our country, and saddened by today’s tragedy.”

Hasan allegedly opened fire and killed 13 people on the post before he was shot several times. Among the wounded was a female police officer who exchanged gunfire with Hasan.

Cone called the attack “a terrible tragedy, stunning.” He said the community was “absolutely devastated.”

5 Responses to “U.S. Army Psychiatrist Allegedly Carried Out Massacre at Fort Hood”

  1. realitydesign says:

    Kevin, what’s going on here? Any ideas?

  2. quintanus says:

    a description of the building where the victims were standing would be helpful. He fired 200-400 times and hit 40 people. You’d think it would take 10 seconds to fire 50 bullets with an automatic gun, much less aiming and pulling a trigger. Why was there no cover for people to run to during the 10 seconds? If he had an automatic weapon and they were sitting in movie-theater style seats, it would be conceivable. Otherwise, the idea of a collaborator makes sense.

  3. Larry Glick says:

    Has the “chicken” of U.S. violence and foreign policy come home to roost?

  4. thucydides says:

    According to Col. Ben Danner and possibly other unnamed “authorities” making statements, the shooter only had two pistols, a .357 Magnum revolver and a semi-automatic handgun. I haven’t seen any reports of the shooter or shooters using automatic weapons.

    Houston Chronicle Nov 6 2009 12:04am:

    The shooter used two pistols, one of them semiautomatic. Neither were military-issued, Danner said.

    Video from the scene showed police patrolling the area with handguns and rifles, ducking behind buildings for cover. Sirens could be heard wailing while a woman’s voice on a public-address system urged people to take cover.

    “I was confused and just shocked,” said Spc. Jerry Richard, 27, who works at the center but was not on duty during the shooting. “Overseas you are ready for it. But here you can’t even defend yourself.”

    Soldiers at Fort Hood don’t carry weapons unless they are doing training exercises.

    Army Times Nov 6 2009 1:30pm:


    Authorities said Hasan went on a 10-minute shooting spree, wearing his uniform, Thursday at the sprawling Texas post. He was among 30 people wounded in the spree and remained hospitalized on a ventilator Friday. All but two of the injured were still hospitalized, and all were in stable condition.

    Officials said Kimberly Munley, a civilian police officer working in security at Fort Hood, was a first responder on the scene of the shooting. She is thought to be the person who shot Hasan four times. Investigators allege that Hasan used two handguns, a semi-automatic and .357, in the attack.

  5. dermot says:

    3 shooters.

    2 shooters.

    1 shooter.

    1 shooter killed.

    Oops.

    1 shooter, still alive.

    Oh yeah. He’s a Muslim.

    The Fog of War?

    Chronic incompetence?

    or WTF? You cannot believe one word from the mouths of these people.

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