Twelve people have been killed and 31 wounded in a shooting at the Ft. Hood Army post in Killeen, Tex, the Army has confirmed.
Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said that the shooter was a U.S. soldier and was killed by police who responded to the incident. Cone said that two other soldiers were in custody and considered suspects in the shooting. He said eyewitnesses reported that there was more than one shooter. Two weapons have been identified, both handguns.
According to Cone, the shooting began at 1:30 p.m. in the Soldier Readiness Center, a facility where soldiers receive medical treatment and fill out paperwork in preparation for deployment.
The victims of the shooting have not been identified but Cone said that the slain included U.S. soldiers and a civilian police officer working at the base. He said that no children had been killed to his knowledge.
The wounded are dispersed among several central Texas hospitals and the extent of their injuries varied, Cone said.
President Barack Obama, speaking before a scheduled event in Washington, said, "It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an army base on American soil."
"I would ask all Americans to keep the men and women of Fort Hood in your thoughts and prayers. We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident," Obama said.
Read more of President Obama's remarks at CBSNews.com's Political Hotsheet blog
The army post was still on lockdown as of 5 p.m. but Cone said that all of the deaths and injuries had taken place during the initial 1:30 p.m. incident and that authorities were determining whether to lift the lockdown.
CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports that the White House is monitoring the situation.
There has been some confusion about the exact location of the shooting or shootings, with the AP reporting that shootings took place in two separate locations within the army post.
Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Nathan Banks, told the Associated Press that the shootings began at a personnel and medical processing center and that a "second incident" took place at the movie theater.
At the Soldier Readiness Center, soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening — on average about 300-400 screened a day, said Sgt. Rebekah Lampam, a spokeswoman at Fort Hood.
Lampam said a graduation ceremony for soldiers who finished college courses while deployed was going on in the auditorium at the time of the shooting.
FBI agents have responded to the base and the military is asking the FBI's help in investigating the backgrounds of the two soldiers held as suspects in the shooting, Cone said.
A woman interviewed by CBS affiliate KWTX in Waco said that news of the shooting had reached her husband and other U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq.
At 2 p.m. emergency responders en route to Ft. Hood were told that their planned staging area, Soldier's Dome, was not safe to use, the Temple Daily Telegram reports.
"I was here for a 2 p.m. graduation," retired Army Col. Greg Schannep told the Telegram. "As I drove up, I heard some shots. A soldier came running past me and said, 'Sir there is someone shooting.'
"I heard three or four volleys of shots with eight to 12 shots in each volley. Initially, I thought it was a training exercise," he said.
Banks said 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.
In May, a U.S. soldier opened fire at a counseling center on a U.S. military base in Iraq, killing five fellow soldiers. An investigation showed that that shooter had shown signs of mental problems for months.
In a statement, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas said, "I am shocked and saddened by today's outburst of violence at Fort Hood that has cost seven of our brave service members their lives and has gravely injured others. My heart goes out to their loved ones. Our dedicated military personnel have sacrificed so much in service to our country, and it sickens me that the men and women of Fort Hood have been subjected to this senseless, random violence."
Covering 339 square miles, Fort Hood is the largest active duty armored post in the United States. Home to about 52,000 troops as of earlier this year, the sprawling base is located halfway between Austin and Waco.
The base is home to nine schools — seven elementary schools and two middle schools — and all were on lockdown, said Killeen school spokesman Todd Martin.
Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange said Texas Rangers and state troopers were en route to Fort Hood to help seal the perimeter of the 108,000 acre base.
Fort Hood officially opened on Sept. 18, 1942, and was named in honor of Gen. John Bell Hood. It has been continuously used for armored training and is charged with maintaining readiness for combat missions.
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I grew up in the shadow of Ft. Hood. Every day, all day long, we'd hear artillery booms from the firing ranges. Sounds like really strange thunder. After awhile you just block it out and don't even notice anymore.
It's weird though, when you're there, even with all the artillery booms, you never even think about all the tons of weaponry just a few miles away. It just takes one wacko.
About the only time you'd ever think of it is when you'd see a big group of soldiers at the Mall or something... and everyone always sort of knew to give them wide berth... a lot of them always seemed to be on edge.
I was watching the news tonight and there are 13 soldiers dead now.
Alot of the muslim soldiers in the American army now feel that they will be targeted because of this but it is not thier fault that this one soldier went on a killing spree.
There were also reports that this soldier was acting funny a few months back and he also wrote in his blog that he was going to do this.
It is a shame that poeple around this type of person should have done something because he was reported but it was brushed under the carpet
Last edited by Miss Inserts; 11-07-2009 at 03:25 AM.
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