Fort Hood was on a shelter-in-place order this afternoon with an active shooter on the base.
From KCEN TV:
We have reports that there are several injuries from this shooting. There is at least one patient being transported to the hospital.
We are also getting reports of victims in the Battle Simulation Center on 65th and Warehouse.
The suspect is still at large. The shooter was said to be in building 33026 which is the Medical Brigade Building.
Reports have said that he was driving a gray Toyota, described as a white male in an Army Combat Uniform, and carrying a .45 handgun.
All personnel on post are asked to shelter in place.
— Fort Hood (@forthood) April 2, 2014
UPDATE 6:45 p.m. EST: The Fort Hood press office has released a statement: “There has been a shooting at Fort Hood and injuries are reported. Emergency crews are on the scene. No further details are know at this time.”
The incident comes days after an FBI division sent out an alert about a recruit suspected of planning an assault like that committed by Nidal Hasan, who received a death sentence last year for the 2009 massacre at the base:
“On 20 March 2014, the Kansas City Division FBI became aware of an individual named BOOKER aka Muhammad Abdullah Hassan who had publicly stated his intention to commit jihad, bidding farewell to his friends and making comments indicating his jihad was imminent. BOOKER had been recruited by the US Army in Kansas City, Mo., in February 2014 and was scheduled to report for Basic Training on 7 April 2014. Kansas City Division Agents interviewed BOOKER on 20 March 2014.”
The title of the alert was “Planned Fort Hood-inspired Jihad against US Soldiers by Army Recruit” and was distributed to Marine Corps officials.
NBC News’ @JimMiklaszewski reporting as many as 8 people possibly wounded during a shooting at Fort Hood in Texas.
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) April 2, 2014
UPDATE 7 p.m. EST: Deputy press secretary Josh Earnest tells the White House pool: “The President has been informed of reports of a shooting at Fort Hood. He’ll continue to receive updates on the situation throughout the evening.” Obama is in Chicago this evening for a DNC event. UPDATE 7:15 p.m. EST: One shooter is reportedly dead at the scene, but Fort Hood officials have not confirmed any reports of dead or wounded. Officials are still trying to determine if there is another shooter. UPDATE 7:30 p.m. EST: From Fort Hood press office:
Fort Hood’s Directorate of Emergency Services has an initial report that a shooter is dead but this is unconfirmed. The injured personnel are being transported to Carl R. Darnall Medical Center and other local hospitals. Numerous law enforcement agencies are in support and on the scene. The number of injured are not confirmed at this time. No further details are known at this time. The post is currently still on lock down.
UPDATE 8 p.m. EST: House Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul (R-Texas) tells CNN that four people are confirmed dead and 14 are injured, per briefings that the congressman received from various agencies. He said the known shooter is named Ivan Lopez, but McCaul stressed there are concerns about a second shooter on the loose and a possible “conspiracy.” McCaul said there are no apparent terror links at the moment, but the situation is still fluid.
UPDATE 8:15 p.m. EST: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in Hawaii for the ASEAN defense ministers meeting, gave a brief statement to media. “Fort Hood is still locked down… We don’t have all the facts yet… I have no additional facts or figures,” he said.
Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), who represents Fort Hood, told CNN, “This incredible military family at Fort Hood is going through another disaster.” Carter has staff on the ground near the base and said the shooter died of “probably a self-inflicted wound.” The Department of Homeland Security released the name of Lopez to Congress members, saying he’s active military, a truck driver, and was in full uniform.
The congressman said four of the wounded taken to area hospitals are in critical condition, one very critical. Unlike McCaul’s report, he said one person was confirmed dead. Carter called the reports of a second shooter “very similar to the Hasan shooting,” and added that “the Army’s very thorough” in combing through the installation to dispel that report.
UPDATE 8:30 p.m. EST: Statements from Texas’ senators: “Tonight, Texans’ hearts are once again very heavy,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). “The scenes coming from Ft. Hood today are sadly too familiar and still too fresh in our memories. No community should have to go through this horrific violence once, let alone twice. I ask that all Americans join Sandy and me in praying for the victims, their families and the entire Ft. Hood community.”
“My prayers are with all in the Fort Hood community who have been impacted by today’s shooting, including first responders who have been actively working to move people out of harm’s way and secure the area,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). “Our office will continue to closely monitor the situation and stands ready to offer assistance as necessary.” Obama also delivered remarks on the shooting at a Chicago steakhouse.
“Any shooting is troubling. Obviously this reopens the pain of what happened at Fort Hood five years ago. We know these families. We know their incredible service to our country and the sacrifices that they make. Obviously our thoughts and prayers were — are with the entire community. And we are going to do everything we can to make sure that the community at Fort Hood has what it needs to deal with the current situation, but also any potential aftermath,” he said.
“We’re heartbroken that something like this might have happened again. And I don’t want to comment on the facts until I know exactly what has happened, but for now, I would just hope that everybody across the country is keeping the families and the community at Fort Hood in our thoughts and in our prayers.”
Possible picture of #FortHood shooter, 34-year-old Spc. Ivan Lopez, 1st Battalion, Warrior Transition Brigade pic.twitter.com/GGR0wiI7Zq
— Anonymous (@C0d3fr0sty) April 3, 2014
UPDATE 10:50 p.m. EST: In a press conference at Fort Hood, Lt. Gen. Mark A. Milley said that the shooter was on medication for psychiatric issues while being treated for depression and anxiety.
Milley said all of the victims were military: three dead in addition to the shooter, and 16 injured. The commander wouldn’t confirm the shooter as Lopez, saying next of kin had not been notified, but said the shooter had served four months in Iraq in 2011 and “self-reported” a traumatic brain injury though was not wounded in combat. He was currently being assessed for post-traumatic stress disorder but was “not yet diagnosed” and “was not in the process of being transitioned out of the military.”
The shooter used a Smith and Wesson .45 that was “purchased recently in the local area.” Milley said the shooter began shooting in one building, got in a vehicle and kept firing while driving, then went to another building to continue shooting. He was confronted in a parking lot by a female officer and shot himself in the head.
“I don’t think soldiers should have concealed weapons on base,” Milley said, arguing that the base has law enforcement that reacted “very rapidly.“
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