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2009 Fort Hood shooting: Difference between revisions

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The '''Fort Hood shooting''' occurred on Thursday, November 5, 2009, at approximately 1:30 p.m. ([[Central Time Zone (Americas)|CST]]) at the [[United States Army]] base of [[Fort Hood]], located in [[Texas]].<ref name="BBC"/> Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an army psychiatrist, entered the Soldier Readiness Center and opened fire, killing 13 and wounding 30 others before he was shot and killed by local police authorities.<ref name="CNN"/><ref name="Huffington"/><ref name="NYP"/><ref name="houstonchronicle"/> Two other suspects were detained and later released.<ref name="CNN"/><ref name="Statesman"/>
The '''Fort Hood shooting''' occurred on Thursday, November 5, 2009, at approximately 1:30 p.m. ([[Central Time Zone (Americas)|CST]]) at the [[United States Army]] base of [[Fort Hood]], located in [[Texas]].<ref name="BBC"/> Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an army psychiatrist, entered the Soldier Readiness Center and opened fire, killing 12 and wounding 30 others before he was shot and killed by local police authorities.<ref name="CNN"/><ref name="Huffington"/><ref name="NYP"/><ref name="houstonchronicle"/> Two other suspects were detained and later released.<ref name="CNN"/><ref name="Statesman"/>


==Shootings==
==Shootings==

Revision as of 02:17, 6 November 2009

Fort Hood shooting
LocationFort Hood, Texas
DateNovember 5, 2009
ca. 1:30 p.m. (CST)
Attack type
Mass murder
Deaths12[1][2][3]
Injured31[1][2]
PerpetratorsMajor Nidal Malik Hasan

The Fort Hood shooting occurred on Thursday, November 5, 2009, at approximately 1:30 p.m. (CST) at the United States Army base of Fort Hood, located in Texas.[1] Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an army psychiatrist, entered the Soldier Readiness Center and opened fire, killing 12 and wounding 30 others before he was shot and killed by local police authorities.[2][3][4][5] Two other suspects were detained and later released.[2][6]

Shootings

The lone gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, entered the Soldier Readiness Center at approximately 1:30 p.m. (CST) and opened fire on a crowd gathered 30 minutes before a scheduled college graduation ceremony for soldiers and family members.[7] He killed eleven soldiers and one civilian police officer[8][9], and wounded 31 others.[2][3][4][5]

Initially, three U.S. soldiers were believed to have been involved in the shooting; two soldiers were initially detained but subsequently released. The base and surrounding areas, including a number of local schools, were locked down, with military police and SWAT teams on the scene. In addition, FBI agents were called in from Austin and Waco.[1] United States President Barack Obama was briefed on the incident, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters. President Obama later held a press conference.[2] The lockdown lasted about 5 hours; by 7pm local time, the lockdown had been lifted.[10]

A suspect now in custody is a possible second shooter, according to Ft. Hood spokesman Christopher Haug. [11]

Shooter

2007 photo of Nidal Malik Hasan

Major Nidal Malik Hasan, age 39, was born in Virginia to parents who immigrated from Jordan.[12][13] He served as an army psychiatrist, who had transferred to Fort Hood in July from Washington's Walter Reed Medical Center.[1][2][14][15][16] Prior to being transferred he had received a poor performance evaluation.[17] He had special training in shooting.[12]

He joined the army immediately after high school, and in exchanged the army paid for him to go to college and medical school.[18] Hasan graduated in 1997 from Virginia Tech, where he was a member of ROTC,[19] with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and in 2003 from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences with a medical degree (MD) in Osteopathy, and later finished his residency as a psychiatrist.[20][13] In 2009, he completed a fellowship in Disaster and Preventive Psychiatry at the Center for Traumatic Stress.[15]

Hasan had come to the attention of Federal authorities at least six months before the attacks because of internet postings he may have made discussing suicide bombings and other threats.[17] However, it has been unclear if he was truly the author of the posts and no official investigation was opened.[17]

Hasan was promoted from Captain to Major in May 2009.[15] Hasan was about to be deployed to Iraq, on November 28. According to Jeff Sadoski, spokesperson of U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, "Hasan was upset about his deployment".[13] The shooter's cousin, Nader Hasan, said that Nidal Hasan turned against the wars after hearing the stories of those who came back from Afghanistan and Iraq.[21] Noel Hamad said, however, that the family did not know he was being sent to Iraq. "He didn't tell us he was going to deploy," she said.[22]

According to retired Colonel Terry Lee, "He said maybe Muslims should stand up and fight against the aggressor. At first we thought he meant help the armed forces, but apparently that wasn't the case. Other times he would make comments we shouldn't be in the war in the first place."[19]

Victims

Ten of the injured survivors of the shooting are being treated at Scott & White Memorial Hospital, a level 2 trauma center in Temple, Texas.[23] All of them had gunshot wounds.[23] Seven more are at Metroplex Adventist Hospital in Temple.[23] Ten of the other dead also were soldiers, while the remaining one was a civilian police officer who was working as a contractor on the base.[24]

Background

Killeen, Texas, the location of the Fort Hood army post
Main article: Fort Hood

Fort Hood, approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) from both Waco and Austin, houses around 40,000 troops and is the largest U.S. military base in the world.[1] At the Soldier Readiness Center, soldiers receive last-minute medical treatment and other instructions before being deployed.[13] About 300-400 soldiers preparing for or returning from deployments are screened a day at the processing center.[9]

Response

  • President Obama described the incident as "tragic" and "a horrific outburst of violence" in a press conference in Washington, going on to say, "It is difficult enough when we lose these brave men and women abroad, but it is horrifying that they should come under fire at an army base on U.S. soil." "My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and the families of the fallen," he said. Obama also offered his help to Cone.[2]
  • Vice President Biden: Jill and I join the President and Michelle in expressing our sympathies to the families of the brave soldiers who fell today. We are all praying for those who were wounded and hoping for their full and speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the entire Fort Hood community as they deal with this senseless tragedy.[25]
  • Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, of Texas, stated "I am shocked and saddened by today's outburst of violence at Fort Hood that has cost seven of our brave service members their lives and has gravely injured others. My heart goes out to their loved ones." [1]
  • Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone called the attack "a terrible tragedy, stunning." He said the community was "absolutely devastated."[3]
  • A spokesman for the Defense Department called the shooting an "isolated and tragic case".[26]
  • Texas Sen. John Cornyn said "my prayers are with the individuals who were killed today, the wounded and their loved ones."[27]
  • Former president George W. Bush said "I was saddened to learn of the tragic incident at Fort Hood. Laura and I are keeping the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."[28]
  • Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, "I can pledge that the Department of Defense will do everything in its power to help the Fort Hood community get through these difficult times"[28]
  • The Senate Armed Services Committee chair, Carl Levin: "Our hearts go out to the families of the brave Americans who lost their lives in today's senseless violence at Fort Hood, Texas, and to those who were injured."[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Twelve shot dead at US army base". BBC News. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "12 people, including one suspect were killed in shootings at Fort Hood, Pentagon says". Fort Hood, Texas: CNN. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d "Fort Hood shootings". Huffington Post. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "12 killed, 20 wounded in Fort Hood incident". New York Post. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Christenson, Sig (November 5, 2009). "12 killed in shooting at Fort Hood". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Two suspects have been released". Statesman.com. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  7. ^ Gearan, Anne (November 5, 2009). "Army: At least 1 Hood shooter in custody". Military Times. Retrieved November 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Baltimore, Chris (November 5, 2009). "Gunman kills 11 in shooting rampage at Fort Hood army base". Houston, Texas: Reuters via Yahoo!. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  9. ^ a b "Twelve dead, 31 wounded in Fort Hood shootings". Stars and Stripes. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ "Officials: Fort Hood no longer on lockdown; suspect identified". Statesman.com. Cox Enterprises. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  11. ^ "Fort Hood Shootings: 13 Dead, 31 Injured on Texas Military Base". Washington, D.C.: Huffington Post. 2009-11-05. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  12. ^ a b "McCaul says suspect had special training in shooting, parents hailed from Jordan". Statesman.com. Cox Enterprises. November 5, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-05. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  13. ^ a b c d Newman, Maria (November 5, 2009). "12 Dead, 31 Wounded in Base Shootings". The New York Times. Retrieved November 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Dreazen, Yochi (November 5, 2009). "Twelve Dead in Fort Hood Shootings". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ a b c "Twelve Soldiers Killed". ABC. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  16. ^ Barrett, Devlin (November 5, 2009). "Fort Hood shooting suspect Army major". The Associated Press. Retrieved November 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ a b c Lara Jakes (November 5, 2009). "Authorities had concerns about suspect". Associated Press.
  18. ^ James Dao. "Gunman 'Mortified' About Deployment to War". NY Times.
  19. ^ a b "Fort Hood Shooter Feared Impending War Deployment". FoxNews.com. 5 November 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
  20. ^ "License for Nidal Malik Hasan, MD". Virginia Board of Education. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  21. ^ "Sources Identify Major as Gunman in Deadly Shooting Rampage at Fort Hood". FoxNews.com. November 5, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
  22. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-11-05-Fort-Hood_N.htm
  23. ^ a b c "Local hospitals treating victims". Statesman.com. Cox Enterprises. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  24. ^ "Officials: 13 killed, including gunman, in Fort Hood shootings". CNN. November 5, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  25. ^ "Staff" (11/05/09). "Biden reacts to Hood attack". politico.com. Retrieved 2009-11-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Military calls Fort Hood shooting 'isolated' case". MSNBC. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  27. ^ "Sen. Cornyn Statement On Fort Hood Tragedy". November 6, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  28. ^ a b c Leinwand, Donna (November 5, 2009). "Army: 12 dead in attacks at Fort Hood, Texas". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-11-06. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ "Fort Hood shootings not Killeen's first brush with tragedy". The Dallas Morning News. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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