12 dead, 30 injured after mass shooting at U.S. Army base

November 5, 3:44 PMLA Military Headlines ExaminerMark Nero

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the LA Military Headlines Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Lt. Gen Robert Cone gives a news conference after the shooting in Fort Hood, Texas. (Photo: Rodolfo Gonzalez/AP)

In what's believed to be the worst mass shooing ever on a U.S. military base, a U.S. Army major today opened fire at Fort Hood in Texas, killing 12 people and wounding at least 30 before he was stopped.

The gunman, Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, was captured by authorities, and two other soldiers, who have not yet been identified by name, have been detained as suspects, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said at a news conference this afternoon. The shooting began around 1:30 p.m. Central time at the base's Soldier Readiness Center, where soldiers who are about to be deployed or are returning undergo medical screening, Cone said.

Hasan, believed to be in his late 30s, used two handguns in the attack, authorities said. A graduation ceremony for soldiers who finished college courses while deployed was going on in an auditorium at the Readiness Center at the time of the shooting, according to Fort Hood spokeswoman Sgt. Rebekah Lampam.

President Barack Obama called the shooting horrific.

We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident," he said. "We are going to stay on this."

Fort Hood, which covers about 340 square miles and is located in Killeen, midway between Waco and Austin, is the largest active duty military base in the U.S. About 52,000 troops are stationed there. 

For more info: Houston Chronicle article; Fort Worth Star-Telegram article.