Police officer wounds lone shooter
By Jessica Acklen, Nick Dean, Liz Foreman, Sommer Ingram
Staff Editors
KILLEEN -- An active-duty psychiatrist stationed at Fort Hood Army post is suspected of killing 12 people and leaving 31 injured Thursday in the largest shooting on a military post ever to occur in the United States.
"This has been a tragic incident in our hearts, and prayers go out to those who have been impacted today," said Lt. Gen. Robert "Bob" Cone in a press conference Thursday evening.
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a 39-year-old Virginia native, opened fire on the base at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, and reports indicate that he was shot multiple times at the scene before being apprehended. Though officials originally reported that Hasan was killed, they later confirmed that after surgery, he is in custody and stable.
His death is not imminent, Cone said.
Initial reports said the gunman had two guns, one of which was a semi-automatic weapon, which Cone said may explain the rate of fire.
"We would like to assure the local community we are going to increase security presence here in the coming days," Cone said.
Immediately after the shooting began, the post was placed under lockdown, along with the Killeen ISD and Temple ISD. Around 7 p.m. the lockdown was lifted and those who reside on the post were allowed to return to their homes.
"The post is not locked down but continues to operate at heightened security and continues to investigate to ensure that no threats remain," Cone said. "We are focusing on three areas: care of the wounded, security of installation, and casualty notification and grief counseling."
Steve Moore, public relations officer for Fort Hood, told The Lariat that shots were fired in the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, where soldiers to be deployed are handled and processed in preparation for war.
"There was a college graduation ceremony with 138 of our great soldiers graduating from college in an auditorium some 50 meters away," Cone said.
Several soldiers were able to close off the doors of the auditorium, which held approximately 600 people. A number of people were evacuated from the scene, and victims of the shootings were taken to Scott and White Memorial Hospital, Metroplex Hospital in Killeen and to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center on Fort Hood.
According to a Scott and White press release, the victims coming to Scott and White were all adults. Among the injured is one female law enforcement officer believed to be the first responder who shot the suspect.
"There was confusion at the hospital, but a Criminal Investigation Department agent has been with him [shooter] the entire time and we were able to straighten that out," Cone said.
Fort Hood, located 50 miles south of Waco in Killeen, is the largest active duty armored post in the United States. Though victims are from a number of units across Fort Hood, there were reportedly two civilians involved.
"We took time to secure the buildings and question over 100 people on the scene," Cone said. "There were two facilities adjacent to one another where the shootings took place. This was a very enclosed area and a large waiting area, so that's why I think you get that high number of casualties."
Hasan reportedly worked at the Darnall Army Community Hospital in Killeen as a psychiatrist and specialized in traumatic stress. He was promoted to the rank of major in May and was expected to deploy later in November. When asked if he thought the shootings were an act of terrorism, Cone said that although it's a possibility, the evidence doesn't suggest that.
Cone said both military police and the department of civilian police responded to the shooting. The FBI also sent agents to the scene.
"The quick-reaction people tell stories of soldiers ripping their uniforms apart and basically applying first aid," Cone said. "We put a great investment into soldiers' first aid, and in taking care of each other. It would make sense that soldiers on scene would provide first aid first because many are trained in combat."
The Waco Red Cross is asking people at Fort Hood to register with a safe and well Web site on redcross.org.
"This allows family members to register themselves so that other loved ones will know they're OK. We do have trained medical specialists on standby at this point, and, if asked to go down, they are prepared to do that," said Angie McFarland of the Waco Red Cross. "We do have resources available to Fort Hood and the military if needed."
The Waco Red Cross extended its closing time from 8 to 11 p.m. to accommodate the influx of donors on Thursday night. Even so, at 5:15 p.m. the employees were cautioning potential donors that they might not get to donate blood that night because the facilities were already full.
Scott and White nurses were redirecting donors to Waco Red Cross at 7 p.m. Thursday because they had reached maximum capacity.
U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, represented Fort Hood from 1991 to 2004 and released a statement on the shootings.
"The soldiers and families of Fort Hood have served our nation with distinction and made tremendous sacrifices for all of us so I am heart-broken to learn that this terrible tragedy has occurred," Edwards said in the release.
"My family's thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and loved ones." | 
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