MULTIPLE GUNMEN ATTACK MILITARY POST IN FT. HOOD, TX
DEVELOPING: A pair of mass shootings at Ft. Hood military post in Texas left at least 7 dead and 20 wounded Thursday, and one suspected gunman is on the loose, the Army said.
A massive manhunt was under way for the suspect at large, Fox News confirmed, and one person was in custody. The New York Post said that there were two shooters at the Army post massacre; other reports said there were three.
An Army spokesman at the Pentagon said the shootings began about 1:30 p.m. Thursday at a personnel and medical processing center at Ft. Hood.
Lt. Col. Nathan Banks said two shooters were apparently involved. There is no word yet on who they were, nor on the identities of the dead. The second incident took place at a theater on Ft. Hood, according to Banks. Some media reports said the number of victims remained unclear.
Banks said a motive wasn't immediately known and it is too soon to tell whether there is any link to battle stress or repeated deployments. The Army is suffering a record high suicide rate and other signs of stress from fighting two wars.
Army officials didn't know whether the victims were civilians or military personnel. The men were reportedly dressed in Army fatigues, but military officials couldn't confirm that they were Army personnel.
Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said the shooting was a terrible tragedy for all of the military families affected. She said the post is a processing center where soldiers are processed before going to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis told Fox News those at the base are trained for combat and it is not unusual to see armed people there. "It could be a terror attack, it could be a disenchanted soldiers, it could be a varity of people," said Maginnis.
The base and area schools were on lockdown after the mass shooting, and all those on the Army post were asked to gather for a head count.
The FBI was going to Ft. Hood to provide assistance. There have been several previous deadly incidents at Ft. Hood, including a shooting of one soldier by another at a party in July; a rape and fatal shooting of an Army medic at her apartment near the post 11 years ago; and the murder-suicide of a lieutenant by a soldier in September 2008.
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NBC: 7 dead, 20 injured in Fort Hood shooting
SWAT teams battle at least one gunman on the military base
Seven dead, gunmen still at large at Ft. Hood
Nov. 5: Seven people have been reported dead and 20 injured at the Army's Fort Hood in Texas. One gunman is in custody and two are reported to be at large.
BREAKING NEWS
NBC News and msnbc.com
updated 3 minutes ago
At least seven people are dead and 20 wounded in a mass shooting Thursday at Fort Hood, Texas, and at least one suspect is believed to be holed up in a building and shooting at SWAT team members, NBC News and affiliate KCEN reported.
It was unknown whether the victims were all soldiers or civilians at Fort Hood, one of the largest military complexes in the world.
One gunman was reportedly in custody and another was on the loose, NBC News said. A third shooter may be involved, according to NBC News affiliate KCEN in Waco, which said the person was holed up in building 42006 on the base and had opened fire on SWAT team members. KCEN quoted a source as saying the shooter had a high-powered rifle.
KCEN reported that a policeman was among those shot.
Greg Schannep, an aide to U.S. Rep. John Carter, told the Austin American-Statesman that he was on the Army post to attend a graduation service. He said that as he neared the entrance of a building where the service was being held, a soldier with blood on his uniform ran past him and said a man was shooting.
Schannep told the newspaper that the shootings appeared to have occurred in a complex near a theater where the service was scheduled. He was with the injured soldier, who he said appeared to have been struck in the shoulder but did not have life-threatening injuries.
The shooting happened "near the soldier readiness processing center, where soldiers cycle through as they prepare to deploy," according to Sgt. Major Jamie Posten from the Fort Hood public affairs office.
He said this is where the soldiers go, up to 60 days before deployment, to begin the process of vaccinations and other preparation. That complex is on the West side of post, off Battalion Avenue.
"It's still developing. We're trying to figure out what took place on the ground," he said.
A nurse at Metroplex Hospital on Fort Hood confirms that those injured in the shooting were being taken there. She told NBC they were all military personnel. The base was reportedly on lockdown. The Killeen Independent School District said all Fort Hood schools are on lockdown.
Temple ISD is on a "soft" lockdown. Parents will be able to pick their children up at the normal times, though they may experience delays.
FBI agents were reportedly on the way to the post.
Fort Hood is adjacent to Killeen, and 60 miles northeast of Austin. The sprawling complex is home to at least 4,929 active duty officers and 45,414 enlisted. Civilian employees total nearly 9,000.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Lee M. Packnett said he was unaware if security measures were put in place at other military bases. “At this point I do not know,” Packnett said.
President Barack Obama was briefed on the shootings, according to spokesman Robert Gibbs.
DEVELOPING: A pair of mass shootings at Ft. Hood military post in Texas left at least 7 dead and 20 wounded Thursday, and one suspected gunman is on the loose, the Army said.
A massive manhunt was under way for the suspect at large, Fox News confirmed, and one person was in custody. The New York Post said that there were two shooters at the Army post massacre; other reports said there were three.
An Army spokesman at the Pentagon said the shootings began about 1:30 p.m. Thursday at a personnel and medical processing center at Ft. Hood.
Lt. Col. Nathan Banks said two shooters were apparently involved. There is no word yet on who they were, nor on the identities of the dead. The second incident took place at a theater on Ft. Hood, according to Banks. Some media reports said the number of victims remained unclear.
Banks said a motive wasn't immediately known and it is too soon to tell whether there is any link to battle stress or repeated deployments. The Army is suffering a record high suicide rate and other signs of stress from fighting two wars.
Army officials didn't know whether the victims were civilians or military personnel. The men were reportedly dressed in Army fatigues, but military officials couldn't confirm that they were Army personnel.
Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said the shooting was a terrible tragedy for all of the military families affected. She said the post is a processing center where soldiers are processed before going to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis told Fox News those at the base are trained for combat and it is not unusual to see armed people there. "It could be a terror attack, it could be a disenchanted soldiers, it could be a varity of people," said Maginnis.
The base and area schools were on lockdown after the mass shooting, and all those on the Army post were asked to gather for a head count.
The FBI was going to Ft. Hood to provide assistance. There have been several previous deadly incidents at Ft. Hood, including a shooting of one soldier by another at a party in July; a rape and fatal shooting of an Army medic at her apartment near the post 11 years ago; and the murder-suicide of a lieutenant by a soldier in September 2008.
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NBC: 7 dead, 20 injured in Fort Hood shooting
SWAT teams battle at least one gunman on the military base
Seven dead, gunmen still at large at Ft. Hood
Nov. 5: Seven people have been reported dead and 20 injured at the Army's Fort Hood in Texas. One gunman is in custody and two are reported to be at large.
BREAKING NEWS
NBC News and msnbc.com
updated 3 minutes ago
At least seven people are dead and 20 wounded in a mass shooting Thursday at Fort Hood, Texas, and at least one suspect is believed to be holed up in a building and shooting at SWAT team members, NBC News and affiliate KCEN reported.
It was unknown whether the victims were all soldiers or civilians at Fort Hood, one of the largest military complexes in the world.
One gunman was reportedly in custody and another was on the loose, NBC News said. A third shooter may be involved, according to NBC News affiliate KCEN in Waco, which said the person was holed up in building 42006 on the base and had opened fire on SWAT team members. KCEN quoted a source as saying the shooter had a high-powered rifle.
KCEN reported that a policeman was among those shot.
Greg Schannep, an aide to U.S. Rep. John Carter, told the Austin American-Statesman that he was on the Army post to attend a graduation service. He said that as he neared the entrance of a building where the service was being held, a soldier with blood on his uniform ran past him and said a man was shooting.
Schannep told the newspaper that the shootings appeared to have occurred in a complex near a theater where the service was scheduled. He was with the injured soldier, who he said appeared to have been struck in the shoulder but did not have life-threatening injuries.
The shooting happened "near the soldier readiness processing center, where soldiers cycle through as they prepare to deploy," according to Sgt. Major Jamie Posten from the Fort Hood public affairs office.
He said this is where the soldiers go, up to 60 days before deployment, to begin the process of vaccinations and other preparation. That complex is on the West side of post, off Battalion Avenue.
"It's still developing. We're trying to figure out what took place on the ground," he said.
A nurse at Metroplex Hospital on Fort Hood confirms that those injured in the shooting were being taken there. She told NBC they were all military personnel. The base was reportedly on lockdown. The Killeen Independent School District said all Fort Hood schools are on lockdown.
Temple ISD is on a "soft" lockdown. Parents will be able to pick their children up at the normal times, though they may experience delays.
FBI agents were reportedly on the way to the post.
Fort Hood is adjacent to Killeen, and 60 miles northeast of Austin. The sprawling complex is home to at least 4,929 active duty officers and 45,414 enlisted. Civilian employees total nearly 9,000.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Lee M. Packnett said he was unaware if security measures were put in place at other military bases. “At this point I do not know,” Packnett said.
President Barack Obama was briefed on the shootings, according to spokesman Robert Gibbs.
