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11:31pm UK, Thursday November 05, 2009

Army Base Massacre: 12 Killed In US Shooting

Adam Arnold, Sky News Online

At least 12 people have been shot dead and 31 others wounded after a US soldier went on the rampage at a military base in Texas.

The suspect, named as Major Malik Nadal Hasan, was killed on site after opening fire with two handguns at the massive Fort Hood complex in Killeen.

He was thought to be in his late 30s and was a mental health professional - an Army psychologist or psychiatrist.

It was not known whether he was treating people at the base.
Two other soldiers are being held as suspects following the shooting.
It took place at the Soldier Readiness Centre, where troops preparing for overseas deployment were getting last-minute medical checkups.
The two suspects were detained at a nearby building on the base.
Eleven of the victims were troops, while a civilian police officer was also killed.

The injured are being treated in local hospitals in Texas.

Obama Condemns Army Base Shooting

Speaking about the shooting, President Obama called it a "horrific outburst of violence".


He promised the government would get "answers to every single question" and said his thoughts and prayers were with the wounded and families of the dead.

Mr Obama said it was a tragedy to lose a soldier overseas and even more horrifying when they come under fire at an army base on US soil.
Fort Hood, which is currently home to about 35,000 soldiers, is in lockdown mode.

Base spokesman Lieutenant-General Bob Cone described it as "a terrible tragedy, stunning."

He said: "At this time, we are looking at 12 dead and 31 wounded. They are dispersed among the local hospitals in this area in Texas."
He added: "The shooter was killed. He was a soldier. We since then have apprehended two additional soldiers who are suspects."

A US Army official in Washington said the incident took place shortly before a scheduled graduation event at the base.

Local congressman John Carter said: "I had a man on the scene, who is my regional director and former chaplin at Fort Hood, waiting to go to a graduation ceremony.

"A soldier came running up to him saying, 'sir, don't go over there. Somebody is shooting over there'.

"When the soldier ran by him, he saw the soldier didn't know it, but he was wounded.

"So, he went into the building and they stopped him, because he had been shot. He heard small arms and some rifle fire while he was there."

Fort Hood is the largest US military base in the world and has been rehabilitating many soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, Mr Carter added.

Sky News