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Twelve killed, 31 wounded in Fort Hood massacre
A military mental health doctor facing deployment overseas allegedly opened fire at Fort Hood this afternoon, killing 12 people in a rampage that also left 31 wounded.
The alleged shooter is hospitalized in stable condition and in custody, according to Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, the base’s commanding officer. The suspect, Army Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, was initially reported as having been killed.
Cone said the death toll from the attack remains 12 after another victim died.
Authorities said immediately after Thursday’s attack that they had killed the suspected shooter. But Cone now says the suspected shooter is alive and 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.
It is unclear what the motive was. U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said the Army major was about to deploy overseas, though it was unclear if he was headed to Iraq or Afghanistan and when he was scheduled to leave. Hutchison said she was told about the upcoming deployment by generals based at Fort Hood.
The violence was believed to be the worst mass shooting in history at a U.S. military base. Two civilians are reported to be among the victims, but it’s not known if they were killed or wounded.
Cone said Hasan is believed to be the sole shooter.
The base was in a lockdown once the shooting started about 1:30 p.m. The general said the gunman opened fire at about 1:30 p.m. in the Soldiers Readiness Processing Center, which is a facility where soldiers are processed before deploying or upon their return.
The base was released from the lockdown around 7 p.m.
Ten of the injured have been taken to Scott & White Hospital in Temple, officials there said. All have gunshot wounds and some also have orthopedic injuries.
Scott & White only has the Level 1 trauma center in Central Texas, which is the highest designation offered by the state.
Accommodations have been made for family members of the wounded to stay at the hospital overnight, officials said. Transportation help is also being provided to them, they said.
All Scott & White doctors have been called in to help, officials said, and more patient rooms have been readied in case they are needed.
The hospital is on lockdown, which means no one can enter without an escort.
Glen Couchman, associate system chief medical officer, said Darnall Army Medical Center, Scott & White’s Temple hospital and Metroplex Hospital in Killeen have taken wounded patients. Scott & White’s Round Rock campus and Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco also are ready to take patients if needed, he said.
Hillcrest has a Level II trauma center. Killeen’s Metroplex Hospital received seven of the wounded.
As part of its response, Scott & White has asked the public to donate blood. John Hamilton, a medical equipment salesman from Austin, said he stopped at the Temple hospital to donate after hearing news of the incident on the radio while driving on Interstate 35.
“I figured that it was the least I could do,” Hamilton said.
The Fort Hood Media Relations Office said a Fort Hood family hotline has been set up at 254-288-7570 and 1-866-836-2751.
Cone said two other soldiers initially apprehended as suspects during the chaos have since been released.
The U.S. Army made a video report about the shootings that can be seen here.
Military officials say Hasan, 39, was a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for six years before being transferred to the Texas base in July. The officials, who had access to Hasan’s military record, said he received a poor performance evaluation while at Walter Reed. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because military records are confidential.
The official says investigators are trying to determine if Hasan was his birth name, or if he changed his name and converted to Islam at some point in his life. (Click here for comments by Al Siddiq, president of the Islamic Center of Waco.)
The shooter used two handguns in the attack, the general said.
The Army also released this video of the aftermath of the attack.
Tribune-Heraldreporter Erin Quinn says the mood in the parking lot at the main gate outside of Fort Hood grew more and more anxious as the hours tick by. People who were initially calm lost patience, after repeated calls to loved ones inside have gone unanswered or have resulted in busy signals.
Staff Sgt. Fanuaee Vea, 32, said he was at the soldier readiness center about an hour before the shooting happened. He went home after his trip there, and when he saw news on the shootings on television, he jumped back in his car and tried to get back to the center.
“I got mad because they wouldn’t let me in,” Vea said.
Vea said the center is a hub of Fort Hood. There is a coffee kiosk there and a bank, among many other things.
“It’s where everything happens at Fort Hood,” Vea said. “… This is really hard for me to take in right now. I can’t believe this.”
Monica Cain, 44, waited in the parking lot with her 8-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son. Her husband returned from Iraq recently after being involved in a roadside bomb attack. Several people in his company were killed and he suffered a brain injury.
Cain dropped her husband off at Fort Hood this morning for some medical treatment and was supposed to pick him up at 1 p.m. When she got there, she was unable to get on post and unable to reach him on his cell phone.
All afternoon, his phone was busy. As she waited, she can’t stop crying, worried about her husband. His treatment was being performed at a medical building next to the post’s hospital, Darnall Army Medical Center, she said.
“I keep calling and calling him and he won’t answer,” Cain said between sobs. “If he would just pick up, I would know he’s OK. But he won’t pick up.”
Fort Hood has requested assistance in the investigation from the FBI, Cone said.
Cynthia Wood, 31, rushed toward Fort Hood after hearing about the shootings on the news. Her 33-month-old son, Conner, attends a preschool on post.
Wood said she had confirmed that Conner was safe but had not been able to get on to post to pick him up.
Wood’s husband is in Iraq on his third tour of duty. She has been sending messages to him about the situation via text message and said that his fellow soldiers are glued to the screen on the cell phone.
The texts have been slow to go through, she said, and she has had to re-send some. The thing she has been texting over and over, she said, is “Conner’s school is safe.”
Although Wood does not live on post, she said she goes there all the time. She has always felt safe there, she said, and cannot believe what has happened.
“I don’t believe for a second that a soldier could do this to another soldier,” Wood said. “I just wouldn’t believe it. It just must be something else.”
Spc. Eric Flint, 22, was supposed to pick up his wife from Darnall at 1 p.m. She is two months pregnant and had a routine doctor’s appointment.
When Flint arrived to pick her up, he wasn’t allowed on post. He has been waiting nearby ever since. Luckily, Flint has been able to talk to his wife by phone to know she is safe.
Flint said his wife and other patients not involved in the incident are being kept in a separate area of the hospital from those wounded. They have been told to stay away from windows and are sitting on the floor. Officials are asking them to remain calm and said food may be brought in to them shortly.
The Veterans Affairs hospital in Temple has activated its emergency operations center and is prepared to help Fort Hood officials in several areas, said public affairs specialist Deborah Meyer.
The VA hospital is in the process of sending some prescription medications to Darnall, Meyer said. It has also identified beds that could be used for people wounded in the incident, if necessary.
In addition, the VA has mental health workers ready to help, should they be needed at Fort Hood or other Central Texas VA facilities to talk with patients who might be upset by the situation, Meyer said.
President Barack Obama was notified of the shootings.
“I would ask all Americans to keep the men and women of Fort Hood in your thoughts and prayers,” Obama said. “We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident. And I want all of you to know that as Commander-in-Chief, there’s no greater honor but also no greater responsibility for me than to make sure that the extraordinary men and women in uniform are properly cared for and that their safety and security when they are at home is provided for.”
U.S. Rep Chet Edwards, D-Waco, who co-chairs the Army Caucus and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement:
“The soldiers and families of Fort Hood have served our nation with distinction and made tremendous sacrifices for all of us so I am heartbroken to learn that this terrible tragedy has occurred.
“My family’s thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and loved ones.”
Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison released the following statement:
“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.
“Our dedicated military personnel have sacrificed so much in service to our country, and it sickens me that the men and women of Fort Hood have been subjected to this senseless, random violence. I know all Americans share this concern for the soldiers and their families who are affected by this tragedy.”
A varsity high school football game between Copperas Cove and Harker Heights at Killeen’s Leo Buckley Stadium was canceled.
The Waco chapter of the American Red Cross is establishing a communications program so people around the country can check on the safety of individual personnel at Fort Hood.
“The Safe & Well program allows those involved in an emergency to register online at www.safeandwell.org so their loved ones can find them and check on their safety,” the agency said in a statement.
The Waco chapter has mental health workers on standby and is ready to deploy upon station request, it said.
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