Friday, November 6, 2009

Suspect at Fort Hood bloody rampage thought to have been killed--is alive and stable!

Updated 6:25 PST. In shocking news reported by Lieutenant Commander Bob Cone, the suspected shooter, who was shot multple times and was thought to have died from his wounds, has been discovered to be alive and in stable conditionEarlier today---US army Major Nadil Malik Hasan opened fire in the Readiness Room, at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, which resulted in a horrific blood bath that ended when he was gunned down by security officers.According to Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Major Hasan was scheduled to be deployed to Iraq or possibly Afghanistan, which is why he was in the Readiness Room where paper work was being processed for soldier deployment.According to Senator Hutchison, Major Hasan was upset about his deployment. She indicated that he was an American citizen of Jordanian decent.Around 1:30pm central time without provocation, Hasan pulled out two hand guns and started shooting. Reports have indicated that he may have been acquainted with some of his victims. He killed 10 fellow soldiers and 1 civilian police officer and wounded 31 other people. A quick response by military police resulted in the wounding of Hasan, which prevented more fatalities.Three other suspects were apprehended a short time later, but two were released after it was determined that they had nothing to do with the incident.Most of the wounded were taken to the base Darnell Hospital, but some went to civilian hospitals. The status of the victims ranged from serious to non-life threatening.What is known about Major Malik Madil Hasan, is that he was a 39 year old doctor of psychiatry, who most recently was working in the mental health center at Ft. Lewis, Washington. Hasan was licensed by the medical board of Virginia and had previously served as a mental health professional at Walter Reed Hospital.No motive was immediately forthcoming, but speculation about treating combat stress and mental instability, surfaced in the media very quickly. The FBI and the CIA will scrutinize everything is Hasan’s background to check for any kind of terrorist connection, but at this point—there has been nothing to indicate that is was anything more than a tragic mental break down resulting in horrific consequences.In a telephone interview on CNN, Hasan's cousin said he was a good American, who had "been dealing with some harrassment from his fellow soldiers."More will be revealed about Major Hasan as the investigation proceeds.Governor Rick Perry delivered a statement to the media, “we have good communication between the FBI and federal authorities. They know we are ready and willing to help in any way. The situation is under control at this point.”Governor Perry requested that state flags be flown at half mast for an unspecified period of time.President Obama curtailed his speech at a meeting with Native American groups to express his condolences to the families of the fallen."It is horrific that they should come under fire at a base on US soil," said the presidentLieutenant Commander Bob Cone ordered a lock down of the base that lasted over five hours until the investigation concluded it was safe to unlock the base.Fort Hood is one of the largest military forts in the United States and covers 340 sq. miles. It is home to 40,000 troops and 17,000 family members

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