Updated on
Summary
The U.S. Army says 12 people have been killed and 31 wounded in a shooting rampage on the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. A military mental health doctor facing deployment overseas opened fire at the Fort Hood Army post on Thursday, setting off on a rampage that killed 11 other people and left 31 wounded. Authorities killed the gunman, and the violence was believed to be the worst mass shooting in history at a US military base. The shooting began around 1:30 p.m., when shots were fired at the base's Soldier Readiness Center, where soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening, said Lt. Gen. Bob Cone at Fort Hood. A law enforcement official identified the shooting suspect as Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly. Two other soldiers taken into custody following the deadly rampage have been released, Fort Hood spokesman Christopher Haug told the media. They are not believed to be involved in the incident, Haug said. He said a third person was in custody, however. Military officials say Hasan, 40, was a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for six years before being transferred to the Texas base in July. President Barack Obama called a mass shooting at Fort Hood military base in a horrific outburst of violence. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an army base on American soil, Obama said after delivering closing remarks at the White House Tribal Nations Conference at the Department of Interior.
