Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Fatalities reported in shooting at Fort Hood, scene of 2009 massacre

7:03 PM


http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/02/us/fort-hood-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 from CNN.com

(CNN) -- Multiple people were killed and others injured Wednesday when a shooter opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, a senior military official and law enforcement official told CNN.
The officials said the suspected shooter was among the dead.
The initial report is the incident started as a soldier-on-soldier attack, law enforcement sources told CNN. The initial assessment is the incident is not terror-related, the sources said.
The Army installation, in an evening statement, said it had an initial report that a shooter was dead, "but this is unconfirmed."
"The injured personnel are being transported to Carl R. Darnall Medical Center and other local hospitals. Numerous law enforcement agencies are in support and on the scene. The number of injured are not confirmed at this time," it said.
President Barack Obama was briefed and spoke Wednesday evening about the incident.
"The situation is fluid right now ... I want to just assure all of us we are going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened," the President said. "We're heartbroken something like this might have happened again."
He was referring to a 2009 massacre at Fort Hood.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel also was monitoring the situation. He spoke to reporters in Honolulu, describing a "terrible tragedy."
"We know there are casualties -- both people killed and injured. We don't have all the facts yet," he said.
Four patients were being treated at Scott & White Hospital in Temple and two others will require surgery soon after being airlifted there. The patients' conditions range from "stable to quite critical," according to a hospital official.
Fort Hood's official Twitter feed asked that all personnel on post shelter in place. Sirens blared.
The shooting took place at Fort Hood's Medical Brigade building, not far from the expansive installation's Darnall Army Medical Center, a soldier at Fort Hood who lives nearby said. The soldier saw several ambulances, numerous police cars and four helicopters that landed and took off from the hospital.
Sheriff's deputies from Bell County and state troopers were assisting by securing the area around the post, according to Bell County Sheriff's Lt. Donnie Adams.
Authorities in the town of Killeen, just outside the gates, were also standing by to help, said Mayor Dan Corbin.
"It is unclear what is going on right now," Corbin said. "We have been in touch with appropriate personnel, we are standing by with our police and ambulances, if needed. We are very concerned. Fort Hood is always there for us and we want to be there for them."
He continued: "They are used to dealing with combat situations, and I'm sure they are very capable of handling this."
Police in nearby Waco advised those on post to stay away from windows and to keep doors closed and locked.
"Injuries are being reported. Be AWARE!! If you are in the Ft. Hood Post area there is an on-going active shooter," the department tweeted.
On November 5, 2009, Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood, killing 13 people and injuring 32.
He shot fellow soldiers at the processing center. Prosecutors maintained that the American-born Muslim underwent a progressive radicalization that led to the massacre at the Army post.
Hasan allegedly picked that day because it was when the units he was scheduled to deploy with to Afghanistan were scheduled to go through the processing center.
The former Army psychiatrist was convicted of premeditated murder, and a military jury recommended that Hasan be put to death.
Wednesday's shooting reminded many in the central Texas community of that incident.
"Today, Ft. Hood was once again stricken by tragedy. As Texans, our first priority must be caring for the victims and their families. Ft. Hood has proven its resilience before, and will again. Texas will support those efforts in any way we can, with any resources necessary," said Gov. Rick Perry.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said in a statement that no community should have to experience such violence once, let alone twice.
"Tonight, Texans' hearts are once again very heavy. The scenes coming from Fort Hood today are sadly too familiar and still too fresh in our memories," he said.
According to the Fort Hood website, the post is one of the largest in the world with 45,414 assigned soldiers and 8,900 civilian employees.
The installation, which encompasses 214,000 acres, is home to two divisions -- the Army's 1st Calvary and the 4th Infantry (Mechanized). There are 12 other units attached or based there.
CNN's Steve Almasy, Nicole Dow, Greg Botelho, Evan Perez, Shimon Prokupecz, Pamela Brown, Brian Todd, Matt Smith, Barbara Starr, Carma Hassan and Devon Sayers contributed to this report.

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