| | | Page 1, 2, 3, 4 | Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 811517
11/5/2009 11:19 PM
Report abusive post | Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings
| Quote |
KILLEEN, Texas (Reuters) - An Army psychiatrist opened fire with two handguns at the Fort Hood Army post on Thursday, killing 12 and wounding 31 others, Army officials said, adding the suspect was shot several times but survived.
Authorities identified the suspected gunman as Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who had treated soldiers wounded in foreign wars preparing for foreign deployment at the post.
"Our investigation is ongoing but preliminary reports indicate that there was a single shooter," Lieutenant-General Robert Cone, Fort Hood's commanding officer, told a news conference. "The shooter is not dead but in custody in stable condition."
Cone said the suspect had been shot multiple times. He had previously said the suspect was killed by police officers during the attack at the biggest military facility in the world.
"He's not currently speaking to investigators," Cone said of Hasan. Pressed on the suspect's condition, he said, "I would say his death is not imminent."
Asked if the shootings were a terrorist act, Cone said, "I couldn't rule that out but ... the evidence does not suggest that."
The Army said the gunman opened fire at about 1:30 p.m. CST at the Soldiers Readiness Processing Center, a group of buildings where soldiers were getting medical check-ups before leaving for overseas deployments.
Cone said the gunman had two weapons, one of them a semi-automatic. "There is no indication that they were military weapons," he said.
It was one of the worst killing sprees ever reported on a U.S. military base. In May, a U.S. soldier at a base in Baghdad shot and killed five fellow soldiers.
Cone said a college graduation ceremony for more than 100 soldiers was being held in an auditorium about 50 yards (meters) away when the shooting started.
"Thanks to the quick reaction of several soldiers, they were able to close off the doors to that auditorium where there were some 600 people inside," Cone said.
"As horrible as this was, I think it could have been much worse," Cone said.
Cone said soldiers as a rule do not carry weapons on the base. Military police and security guards are armed.
SUSPECT SAID TO BE UPSET ABOUT DEPLOYMENT
A cousin of the suspected shooter, Nader Hasan, told Fox News that he had been ordered to serve a term in Iraq and had been resisting such a deployment. Continued...
[link to www.reuters.com] |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 808960
11/5/2009 11:20 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
OMG thanks for posting this, why isn't anyone talking about this. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 811517 (OP)
11/5/2009 11:24 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
"Fort Hood is home to about 50,000 troops, although Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison said only about 35,000 were on base at the time. The fort, established in 1942, stretches across 339 square miles (878 square km) in central Texas and is the largest single employer in Texas.
It's the only military post in the United States capable of supporting two full armored divisions -- the 1st Cavalry Division and the 4th Infantry Division.
Base personnel have accounted for more suicides than any other Army post since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, with 75 tallied through July of this year. Nine of those occurred in 2009, counting two in overseas war zones.
A former FBI criminal profiler highlighted the irony of the gunman's reported expertise as a psychiatrist specializing in traumatic stress, which often affects combat soldiers.
"It may be that he succumbed to that which he was supposed to heal," Clint Van Zandt said on MSNBC.
Fort Hood is halfway between Austin and Waco, about 60 miles from each city. Nearby Killeen, Texas, was site of one of worst U.S. shooting rampages when a gunman drove his truck into a Luby's cafeteria in 1991, killing 23 and wounding 20 before killing himself. (Additional reporting by James Vicini, Peter Cooney and Phil Stewart in Washington and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles) (Writing by Chris Baltimore, Editing by Peter Cooney)" |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 808960
11/5/2009 11:25 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
This is important, why isn't this pinned? |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 538386
11/5/2009 11:26 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
This is important, why isn't this pinned? Quoting: Anonymous Coward 808960
You are being sarcastic I hope.... |
| Revbo 
User ID: 802487
11/5/2009 11:26 PM
 | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
This is important, why isn't this pinned? Quoting: Anonymous Coward 808960
Wait! There was a shooting at Ft. Hood?! Pin this shit, NOW!
TANSTAAFL |
| isnapshot
User ID: 710374
11/5/2009 11:27 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
Wow, really? This is the first I've heard about it.
I wonder why no one else on here has mentioned anything? |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 801158
11/5/2009 11:27 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
"It may be that he succumbed to that which he was supposed to heal," Clint Van Zandt said on MSNBC.
Like psychiatric disorders are communicable diseases?
I expect we're going to hear all manner of douchebaggery from talking heads over the next week. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 811522
11/5/2009 11:27 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
 |
| Pleeb
User ID: 791938
11/5/2009 11:29 PM
 | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
QUICK, PIN THIS BREAKING NEWS!
Pleeb: a minion, level entry position, slave
Attention: The moon is CRASHING into the earth!
[link to www.godlikeproductions.com] |
| Revbo
User ID: 802487
11/5/2009 11:31 PM
| | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
If we try hard enough, we could set a record for sarcastic posts.
PIN! PIN! PIN!
TANSTAAFL |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 7483
11/5/2009 11:33 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
OMG thanks for posting this, why isn't anyone talking about this. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 808960
This story has only been posted about 150 times so far today. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 811513
11/5/2009 11:34 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
QUICK, PIN THIS BREAKING NEWS!
:pin: Quoting: Pleeb
 |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 808960
11/5/2009 11:34 PM | | Anonymous Coward
User ID: 811517 (OP)
11/5/2009 11:37 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
WASHINGTON - There are many unknowns about Nidal Malik Hasan, the man authorities say is responsible for the worst mass killing on a U.S. military base. Most of all, his motive. But details of his life and mindset, emerging from official sources and personal acquaintances, are troubling.
For six years before reporting for duty at Fort Hood, Texas, in July, the 39-year-old Army major worked at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center pursuing his career in psychiatry, as an intern, a resident and, last year, a fellow in disaster and preventive psychiatry. He received his medical degree from the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., in 2001. NBC News’ Pete Williams reported that Hasan had been promoted to major in May.
While an intern at Walter Reed, Hasan had some "difficulties" that required counseling and extra supervision, said Dr. Thomas Grieger, who was the training director at the time.
Problems with patient interactions
Grieger said privacy laws prevented him from going into details but noted that the problems had to do with Hasan's interactions with patients. He recalled Hasan as a "mostly very quiet" person who never spoke ill of the military or his country.
"He swore an oath of loyalty to the military," Grieger said. "I didn't hear anything contrary to those oaths."
NBC News' Robert Windrem said Hasan specialized in traumatic stress. It was not known whether he was treating people at the base.
But, more recently, federal agents grew suspicious.
Troubling online postings
At least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades.
They had not determined for certain whether Hasan is the author of the posting, and a formal investigation had not been opened before the shooting, said law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the case.
One of the officials said late Thursday that federal search warrants were being drawn up to authorize the seizure of Hasan's computer.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said military officials told her that the gunman was upset about his impending deployment.
It was unclear where Hasan was to be deployed. Hutchison said it was to be to Iraq, but retired Army Col. Terry Lee, who said he worked with Hasan, told Fox News that Hasan tried hard to prevent his pending deployment to Afghanistan.
Lee said Hasan had hoped President Barack Obama would pull troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq, and that he got into frequent arguments with others in the military who supported the wars.
Attended prayers regularly
Hasan attended prayers regularly when he lived outside Washington, often in his Army uniform, said Faizul Khan, a former imam at a mosque Hasan attended in Silver Spring, Md. He said Hasan was a lifelong Muslim.
"I got the impression that he was a committed soldier," Khan said. He spoke often with Hasan about Hasan's desire for a wife.
On a form filled out by those seeking spouses through a program at the mosque, Hasan listed his birthplace as Arlington, Va., but his nationality as Palestinian, Khan said.
"I don't know why he listed Palestinian," Khan said, "He was not born in Palestine."
Nothing stood out about Hasan as radical or extremist, Khan said.
"We hardly ever got to discussing politics," Khan said. "Mostly we were discussing religious matters, nothing too controversial, nothing like an extremist."
Hasan earned his rank of major in April 2008, according to a July 2008 Army Times article.
He served eight years as an enlisted soldier. He also served in the ROTC as an undergraduate at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg. He received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry there in 1997.
[link to www.msnbc.msn.com] |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 811517 (OP)
11/5/2009 11:53 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
The Virginia Board of Medicine lists Hasan as a licensed physician who has a primary practice at the Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood. It says he received his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2003 and completed a residency in psychiatry at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington in 2007 and a fellowship in disaster and preventive psychiatry in 2009.
Hasan, 39, transferred to Fort Hood in July, the Associated Press reported, citing unidentified military officials.
Devout Muslim
He was a devout Muslim and had sought for several years to be discharged from the military, the Washington Post reported, citing his aunt. Noel Hasan told the newspaper her nephew had endured name-calling and harassment about his faith for years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and the Pentagon.
The harassment stemmed from his “Middle Eastern ethnicity” and he had hired a military attorney, Nader Hasan, the major’s cousin, told Fox News.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the shootings at a press conference on Capitol Hill and urged calm as investigators piece together the details of what happened.
“No political or religious ideology could ever justify or excuse such wanton and indiscriminate violence,” Nihad Awad, the group’s executive director, said in a statement. “The attack was particularly heinous in that it targeted our nation’s all-volunteer army that includes thousands of Muslims in all services.”
Officials at Fort Hood are “marshalling the medical support and counselors necessary to take care of our soldiers and their families and to notify the next of kin,” Army Secretary John McHugh said in a statement.
Nine of the shooting victims were being treated at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas, according to the hospital’s Web site. All of the patients are adults, it said. More victims are expected and the hospital put out an appeal for blood donations.
Confusion over whether the alleged shooter was killed occurred because a number of people were evacuated from the scene in the aftermath, Cone said. A female officer originally thought to have been killed is alive and in stable condition after surgery.
“She is believed to be the first responder who shot the suspect,” Cone said.
Two Locations
Most of the wounded were military, he said, adding shootings occurred at two locations.
At the processing center, soldiers were awaiting dental and medical treatment in a large waiting area, accounting for the high number of casualties, Cone said. At the auditorium about 50 meters away, 138 soldiers were graduating, and officials were able to close the doors to protect participants, he said.
The shooter was believed to have had two weapons, one of them semi-automatic, allowing him to fire rapidly in succession, Cone said.
“As horrible as this was, I think it could have been much worse,” he said.
[link to www.bloomberg.com] |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 809686
11/5/2009 11:55 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
Operation Sesame St activated by Google |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 811517 (OP)
11/6/2009 12:23 AM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
FORT HOOD, Texas —
An Army psychiatrist who'd recently completed training in treating traumatic stress disorder opened fire Thursday on a group of soldiers preparing to deploy to Iraq, killing at least 12 and wounding 30.
Around the country, some military bases stepped up security precautions, but no others were locked down.
"The bottom line for us is that we are increasing security at our gates because the threat hasn't yet been defined, and we're reminding our Marines to be vigilant in their areas of responsibility," said Capt. Rob Dolan, a public affairs officer for the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz.
In Washington, President Barack Obama called the shooting "a horrific outburst of violence." He said 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.
"We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident," Obama said. "We are going to stay on this."
Obama spoke late Thursday afternoon with Cone, to express condolences and to offer any help he might need, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Obama was getting regular Oval Office updates on the shooting from his staff, led by his homeland security adviser, John Brennan.
Neighbors in the high-rise building in Silver Spring, Md., where Hasan lived on the 18th floor before his transfer to Fort Hood described him as quiet and pleasant looking, but none said they really knew him. They said he was always in uniform. "The man was a quiet person," said Viviane Tchanzhan, 30. "I never spoke to him."
Records show that he was born in Virginia and graduated from Virginia Tech University in 1995.
In an interview with Fox News, a man claiming to be the suspect's cousin, Nader Hasan, said that Maj. Hasan considered an upcoming deployment to Iraq "his worst nightmare." Nader Hasan added that his cousin wasn't violent, telling Fox News: "He wasn't somebody who even enjoyed going to the firing range."
It was unclear if Hasan acted alone. Cone said three soldiers who'd been taken into custody as possible accomplices had been released. Cone said that while there was nothing suggesting terrorism, "I couldn't rule that out."
Cone said two of the 30 wounded were civilians. The identities of the dead and wounded weren't released.
"It's a terrible tragedy. It's stunning," Cone said.
[link to www.star-telegram.com] |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 811517 (OP)
11/6/2009 12:44 AM | | Anonymous Coward
User ID: 764070
11/6/2009 12:49 AM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
 |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 757124
11/6/2009 12:50 AM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
LAAAAAAAAAAAAAG |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 811569
11/6/2009 12:59 AM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
It's funny how people seem to be all over the fact that this man is Muslim, but paying very little attention to the fact that he is a psychiatrist. They are, for the most part some whacked-out, dangerous people. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 811517 (OP)
11/6/2009 2:35 AM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
It's funny how people seem to be all over the fact that this man is Muslim, but paying very little attention to the fact that he is a psychiatrist. They are, for the most part some whacked-out, dangerous people. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 811569
Why did he want to be a psychiatrist? He does not seem suited for that job? He would have washed out of the program but someone went to a lot of trouble to keep him on that career path. Hasan was in college and medical training for 16 years. He finally finishes and is transferred to Ft. Hood and is in the process of being stationed overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan? Perhaps he couldn't get out of the military because they paid for his college training; most likely all sixteen years of it which they will do but you are then obligated to serve a number of years. He may have been taking some kind of medication and went off of it? He seems to have been well thought of or well liked by his superiors and influential people. Psychiatrists do not listen to people talk about their problems. They see a patient, diagnose their problem and prescribe a medication. He got his desire, but what a horrible way to do it- Will not be in Iraq now. Something went wrong. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 812007
11/6/2009 1:54 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
Death toll rises to 13 in Ft. Hood shootings
Army officials confirmed that the alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was due to be deployed overseas. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was shot by a police officer and is hospitalized.
"We don't know all the answers yet and I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we know all the facts," Obama said.
What is known, the president said, is that the nation is grieving over one of the worst mass shootings at a U.S. military installation. He ordered that flags be flown at half-staff, a "modest tribute" to those who died and military personnel who serve the nation.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, said that authorities would examine Hasan's actions in the months leading up to the rampage in part to determine whether authorities had missed warning signs. "This is going to be a long and convoluted and messy investigation," the official said.
[link to www.latimes.com] |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 812007
11/6/2009 7:49 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
The gun thought to be used in the Fort Hood massacre packs so much firepower, it's known as 'the Cop Killer,' federal law enforcement officials said.
Major Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly packed a FN Herstal Five-seveN tactical pistol, which according to federal law enforcement officials, was legally purchased from the "Guns Galore" shop in Killeen, Texas in Aug. 2009. The store's manager, David Cheadle, said that particular firearm can hold 20 rounds in a standard clip and take a ten round clip extension. Cheadle said with one clip and one round in the chamber, one could fire 31 rounds before reloading.
Hasan may have used an expanded clip in the shooting.
On FN Herstal's webpage, the benefits of the Five-seveN pistol note that it can "defeat the enemy in all close combat situations in urban areas, jungle conditions, night missions and any self defense action."
[link to abcnews.go.com] |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 805379
11/6/2009 7:50 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
*snap* |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 812007
11/6/2009 8:01 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
Is there such a thing as an automatic pistol? The website seems to say so.
[link to www.fnherstal.com] |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 812007
11/6/2009 8:04 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 812007
If you can't go there it says this:
Highly Accurate
The flat trajectory of the 5.7 x 28 mm ammunition guarantes a high hit probability up to 200 m.
Extremely low recoil results in quick and accurate firing, either shot by shot or automatically. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 812050
11/6/2009 8:11 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
LAAAAAAAAAAAAAG Quoting: Anonymous Coward 757124
LOL LOL LOL |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 812050
11/6/2009 8:11 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
OMG thanks for posting this, why isn't anyone talking about this. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 808960
 |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 812007
11/6/2009 8:15 PM | | Re: Army Psychiatrist @ Ft. Hood commits Mass Killings | Quote |
Is this a "cop killer" gun? anybody know? |
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