REHEARSALS. Pinoy US Army soldier said hearing gunfire was normal on the base. But this time, it was real. Paul J. Richards/AFP
http://www.rappler.com/world/regions/us-canada/54596-filipino-soldier-fort-hood
MANILA, Philippines – A US Army soldier who is originally from Quezon City, Philippines, was at the scene of a mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, a US military base, on Wednesday, April 2 (April 3 in Manila). John Paul Lagasca, a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, didn't realize it was live gunfire at first. “We thought it was some kind of rehearsal for ceremonies; it’s not. It turned out to be real live ammo.”
According to latest reports, a soldier killed at least 3 people and wounded 16 others before turning the gun on himself.
The gunman – who remains unidentified – allegedly used a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, which he supposedly bought recently and smuggled on base.
Lagasca migrated to Anchorage, Alaska, in the United States, 3 years ago and joined the US Army soon after, with the rank of specialist. He told Rappler, “We heard gunfire around 2:30 pm (5:30 am Manila time).”
He explained, “it’s common to hear gunfire inside because there’s always training that’s happening. After a few minutes we heard sirens and some MPs rolling down the strip.” Lagasca said that was when they had to evacuate, “Our chain of command started telling everybody to stay inside the company area; the doors were locked. We couldn't peek outside because they haven’t determined what kind of weapon the gunman was using.”
But despite the gunfire, Lagasca and his other companions were calm the whole time. “Most, if not all of us, started calling family members letting them know that they’re okay.”
Lagasca’s parents, who are based in Alaska, were checking up on their son every hour.
Lagasca’s parents, who are based in Alaska, were checking up on their son every hour.
The suspect’s identity has yet to be revealed. This is the second mass-shooting at Fort Hood, the first one was in 2009. Lt Gen Mark Milley III said the gunman was “currently under diagnosis for PTSD,” but had not been diagnosed.
President Barack Obama told the media he was “heartbroken something like this might happen again.” – Rappler.com
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