Wednesday, April 02, 2014

Another Attack at Fort Hood: One Dead, 14 Wounded

 

Law enforcement officials with guns drawn approach a building at Ft. Hood where a shooting was reported Wednesday late afternoon. Bell County Sheriff's Office also reported a shooting on the post. (Photo By SSG. Tim Reyes)
 

Report: One dead, 14 injured in shooting at Fort Hood
By Sig Christenson, Kolten Parker | April 2, 2014 | Updated: April 2, 2014 6:39 p.m.
Houston Chronicle
• Comments 31

Related content
• Liveblog: Shooting at Fort Hood
• Official release from Fort Hood Press Center

SAN ANTONIO — Fort Hood officials confirmed Wednesday that a shooting had taken place and that the post was on lockdown, but knew little more about the incident.

The Associated Press, citing an unnamed official in Honolulu, said that one person is confirmed dead and 14 injured.
Some media reports said at least three people were dead, and the shooter was still at large, but a top post spokesman said that was inaccurate.

“We don't have that. We don't have that at all. Those are wrong numbers,” said Fort Hood spokesman Chris Haug said. “All you can say right now is there were reported injuries.”

In a press release issued just after 5:30 p.m., the post stated that a shooting had occurred “and injuries are reported. Emergency crews are on the scene. No further details are known at this time.”

The post remains on lockdown at this hour. Central Texas College has been evacuated. Individuals were told to stay sheltered and away from doors and windows.

Post spokesman, Master Sgt. Jacob Caldwell, said he didn't know whether there were one or more shooters involved.
He couldn't say if anyone had been killed or wounded.

“I haven't been notified of that yet,” he said.

Reports say police are looking for a Toyota in connection with the shooting.

Michelle Lee, spokeswoman for the FBI in San Antonio, said the FBI had “no indication” the shooting at Fort Hood is related to a alert sent by the agency in recent days regarding an Army recruit named Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, aka “Booker,” who was discharged in February from a Kansas City, Mo., base.

An alert sent March 20 by the Kansas City FBI Division that was titled “Planned Fort Hood-inspired Jihad against US Soldiers by Army Recruit” and stated Booker had publicly stated his intent to harm soldiers, according to Fox News.
Lee, though, confirmed Booker has been deemed not to be a threat after investigators met with him.

Fort Hood has a population of more than 50,000, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

The post was the scene of a shooting nearly five years ago that left 13 people dead, 12 of them soldiers, and dozens of others wounded.

A [Moslem] Fort Hood psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Hasan, was given the death sentence in that case last summer.

Staff writers Drew Joseph and Guillermo Contreras contributed to this report.
kparker@express-news.net
Twitter: @KoltenParker

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