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Updated: 9:29 AM Nov 6, 2009
Army Base Shooting Leaves 12 Dead, Alleged Shooter is VA Native
FORT HOOD, Texas, BETHESDA, Md. & WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. Army reports that the suspect in a deadly shooting spree at Fort Hood in Texas is alive.
Posted: 3:54 PM Nov 5, 2009Reporter: JAY ROOT, ANNE GEARAN, DEVLIN BARRETT, PAM HESS, APRIL CASTRO & LARA JAKES - Associated Press Writers |
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The U.S. Army reports that the suspect in a deadly shooting spree at Fort Hood in Texas is alive.
A U.S. Army spokesman says the suspect was not killed by authorities
responding to the attack.
Lt. Gen. Bob Cone also says the death toll from the attack remains 12 after another victim died. More than 30 people were injured in the attack.
Authorities said immediately after Thursday's attack that they had killed the suspected shooter. But Cone now says the suspected shooter is alive and in stable condition.
Cone offered little explanation to reporters at a news conference as to why the suspect was believed dead, saying only there was confusion at the hospital.
A law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly, identified the suspect as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.
The official says investigators are trying to determine if Hasan is his birth name, or if he changed his name and converted to the Islamic faith at some point in his life.
Two other suspects were arrested but reports say they have both been released.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison says Hasan was about to deploy overseas. She says she was told about the upcoming deployment by generals based at Fort Hood. But it was unclear if he was headed to Iraq or Afghanistan and exactly when he was scheduled to leave.
Military officials in Washington say the suspected shooter was a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for six years before being transferred to the Texas base in July.
Officials with access to Hasan's military record say he received a poor performance evaluation while at Walter Reed.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because military records are confidential.
The Virginia-born soldier was single with no children. He was 39 years old.
He is a graduate of Virginia Tech University, where he was a member of the ROTC and earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 1997. He received his medical degree from the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland in 2001.
Hasan has two degrees from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda.
According to Hasan's military record, he earned a medical degree in 2001 from the school. A university newsletter lists him as also earning a master's degree in public health there last year.
The university educates military and federal public health service staff, offering graduate degrees in areas such as public health and nursing.
At Walter Reed, he did his internship, residency and a fellowship.
Federal law enforcement officials say Hasan had come to their attention at least six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats.
The officials say the postings appeared to have been made by Hasan, who was killed during the shooting that left least 11 others dead. The officials say they are still trying to confirm that he was the author. They say an official investigation was not opened.
The officials also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.
One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates suicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades.
President Barack Obama is calling the shooting a "horrific outburst of violence."
He says he doesn't yet know all the details but promised the government would get "answers to every single question."
The commander in chief says 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.
Obama also said his thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and families of the fallen.
Fort Hood is located halfway between Austin and Waco.
©2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Latest Comments
this is what happens when we outsource the police for military bases. due to budget cuts. i have a nephew at hood he is ok . as a vet my heart goes out to the familys. this is a open post and there are several ways to get off base without being seen for there are no mp gates at these entrances. i was based at hood for 4 years. thank the demacrats for the budget cuts. we are in a state of war and our own troops arnt being protected here at home. this is a shame. obama sit up and look protect our troops for they protect us at home.



