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Updated: 6:14 PM Nov 6, 2009
Suspected Army Shooter Remains Hospitalized as Investigation Continues
FORT HOOD, Texas, WASHINGTON, TEMPLE, Texas, & SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) The family of the suspected Fort Hood shooter says "the actions of their cousin are despicable and deplorable." Posted: 11:42 AM Nov 6, 2009Reporter: EILEEN SULLIVAN, LARA JAKES, PAULINE JELINEK, JEFF CARLTON, MIKE BAKER, APRIL CASTRO, DEVLIN BARRETT and ANNE GEARAN - Associated Press Writers |
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan - identified as suspected shooter at Fort Hood in Texas.
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The family of the suspected Fort Hood shooter says "the actions of their cousin are despicable and deplorable."
Kim Fuller, a spokeswoman for Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's family says relatives in Northern Virginia are reaching out to law enforcement Friday to offer insight. Authorities have said Hasan is suspected in Thursday's mass killings at Fort Hood military base in Texas that left 13 dead and wounded another 30.
Hasan's family said in a statement Friday that his actions don't reflect how they were raised in the United States.
A Maryland imam at the mosque Hasan attended says he never seemed to be an extremist.
Imam Faizul Khan says he knew Hasan for more than ten years. They first met at the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring.
Kahn says Hasan was quiet and reserved. They mostly discussed religious matters, but Khan says Hasan never seemed controversial. They rarely discussed politics.
Kahn says they spoke often about how Hasan wanted to find a wife. He says Hasan never married.
On a form filled out by those seeking spouses through a program at the mosque, Kahn says Hasan listed his birthplace as Arlington, Virginia, but his nationality as Palestinian. Khan says he doesn't know why because Hasan was born in the United States.
Military officials are still trying to piece together what may have pushed the 39-year-old Army psychiatrist, trained to help soldiers in distress, to turn on his comrades.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has declared a moment of silence for U.S. military forces worldwide as a show of respect for the shooting victims.
The moment of silence is planned for 2:34 p.m. EST Friday, exactly 24 hours after the shooting in Texas. All U.S. forces worldwide are being asked to participate in the show of respect.
A spokesman says Gates has no immediate plans to travel to Fort Hood.
Army Chief of Staff George Casey and Army Secretary John McHugh arrived at the base Friday.
The top commander at Fort Hood, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone, is crediting a civilian police officer for stopping the rampage.
Cone said Friday that Fort Hood police Sgt. Kimberly Munley and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire Thursday afternoon. Cone said Munley shot the gunman four times despite being shot herself.
Officials said Munley was in stable condition.
Cone said, "It was an amazing and an aggressive performance by this police officer."
Cone also said he was inspired by a woman who helped carry a wounded victim and used her blouse as a tourniquet, then later realized she'd been shot in the hip.
Cone says soldiers who witnessed a shooting rampage reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire.
He said on a morning television show Friday that Hasan made the comment, which is Arabic for "God is great!" before the rampage Thursday.
Cone says Hasan was not known to be a threat or risk.
Hasan was shot four times during the rampage. Authorities say Hasan remains in a coma and under guard but is expected to live. A federal law enforcement official said investigators have not been able to talk to him.
Authorities at first thought one of the dead was the shooter, accounting for a delay in identifying him.
The initial investigation shows that Hasan allegedly used only one gun during the attack, a 5.7-caliber semiautomatic pistol.
Army officials said Hasan also was carrying another handgun. But the law enforcement official said there's nothing so far to indicate the second weapon was fired.
The law enforcement official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
Federal authorities have seized the suspected shooter's computer and are looking for clues that may have led to Thursday's military massacre.
A U.S. law enforcement official said that Hasan's apartment in Killeen, Texas, was searched early Friday. It was not immediately known if FBI agents found anything suspicious on Hasan's computer files. A military official said investigators also are sifting through materials Hasan carried with him during the shooting incident and evidence left in his vehicle, which was found parked at the base.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.
A neighbor says Hasan cleaned out his apartment in the days before the rampage.
Neighbor Patricia Villa says he came over to her apartment Wednesday morning and told her he was going to be deployed Friday.
She says he gave her some frozen broccoli, some spinach, T-shirts, shelves and a new Quran, the Muslim holy book. She says he returned Thursday morning and gave her his air mattress, several briefcases and a desk lamp.
Villa says Hasan then offered her $60 to clean his apartment Friday morning after he supposedly was to leave.
Defense department officials say Hasan was slated for deployment to Iraq.
One of the military officials says Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was in the preparation stage of deployment, which can take months. The official said Hasan had indicated he didn't want to go to Iraq but was willing to serve in Afghanistan. The official did not have authorization to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
However, an Army spokeswoman says Hasan had been scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan to counsel soldiers suffering from combat stress.
Army spokeswoman Col. Cathy Abbott says he was to deploy with an Army Reserve unit that provides what the military calls "behavioral health" counseling.
It wasn't immediately clear whether Hasan sought the assignment or was being sent against his wishes.
Another military official said Hasan's family has Palestinian roots. There have been reports that he was harassed for his Muslim religion, but the official says there is no indication Hasan filed a complaint within the military about that.
Still, a senior U.S. official in Washington isn't ruling out the possibility that Hasan had ties to radical groups, but isn't saying whether there's evidence to back it up.
Law enforcement officials say Hasan came to their attention at least six months ago, because of Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats. It's not yet certain he authored the posts.
Virginia Tech confirms that Hasan did attend the school. According to records, he first enrolled at Virginia Tech for a summer session in 1992.
He completed his coursework in the spring of 1995. Hasan received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in biochemistry from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. His minor was in biology and chemistry.
Prior to his time at Virginia Tech, Hasan was also a student at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke.
According to Virginia Tech, Hasan was not a member of the school's Corps of Cadets or any ROTC programs.
Officials are also not ruling out the possibility that some of the casualties may have been victims of "friendly fire."
A doctor at a hospital where several of the wounded were taken says some patients may still die.
W. Roy Smythe is the chairman of surgery at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple. He said Friday that "everyone is not out of the woods."
He says some of the wounded have "extremely serious injuries" and several patients are still at "significant risk" of losing their lives. Ten of the wounded were taken to Scott & White.
©2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
