12 Dead, 31 Wounded in Base Shootings
MARIA NEWMAN
Published: November 5, 2009
At least one gunman killed 12 people and wounded 31 in a shooting on Thursday afternoon at Fort Hood in Texas. Military police killed one shooter, who had two guns, and at least two soldiers are in custody.

Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone, the commanding officer at Fort Hood, the largest active military installation in the country, said the base was in lockdown as military authorities, with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigate the rampage.

This was a terrible tragedy, said General Cone, speaking at a news conference Thursday afternoon. Stunning. `

An Army spokesman, Gary Tallman, said that the dead gunman was an Army major. A law enforcement official identified the him as Malik Nadal Hassan.

President Obama, speaking from the White House, called it a horrific outburst of violence.

My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and with the families of the fallen, the president said.

We don`t yet know all the details at this moment, he said. We will share them as we get them. What we do know is that a number of American soldiers have been killed and even more have been wounded in a horrific outburst of violence.

It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil, the president said.

General Cone said the shooting began at about 1:30 p.m. Central time, when a soldier entered the soldier readiness unit, where soldiers receive last-minute medical attention before being shipped overseas, including to Iraq and Afghanistan.

A solder opened fire, and due to the quick response of the police forces, he was killed, General Cone said.

There were several eyewitness accounts that there was more than one shooter, he said. Two other soldiers were also taken into custody, he said, but the authorities are continuing to sort out what exactly happened.

General Cone said that the sprawling base has facilities that house children, but that there were no children among the dead or wounded.

The soldiers and family members are absolutely devastated, he said.

He said that the local police had responded quickly and that the wounded were taken to an area hospital.

Earlier, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas said she had been apprised of the shootings.

Our hearts go out, she told Fox 4 News. These are soldiers who are getting ready to go out to Iraq or Afghanistan and their families were under stress already. This was just a terrible tragedy and we don`t even know the extent of it yet.