The commander of Fort Hood, Lieutenant General Bob Cone, says the officer opened fire in a building where soldiers were preparing to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan. The general says the man had two handguns, and may have had two accomplices.
"The shooter was killed," said General Cone. "He was a soldier. We since then have apprehended two additional soldiers that are suspects." General Cone says witnesses reported the two other soldiers also fired weapons and then fled, but security forces found them in a nearby building. He called the incident a terrible and stunning tragedy.
Officials and observers have expressed surprise that the shooter was an officer. Major is the fourth of ten ranks in the Army officer corps. Major Hasan is reported to have been in his late 30s.
Officials have not said what his motive was, and Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell says speculation about a motive is premature.
"I don't know how anybody is possibly speculating about motives, given how few facts we have," said Morrell. Fort Hood is one of the largest U.S. Army bases in the world. Nearly 30,000 soldiers and civilians work on the base, and thousands of their family members live there. Another 15,000 soldiers from the base are currently deployed overseas. Its troops have had multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, leading to speculation that post-combat stress could have contributed to the shootings, but officials have not confirmed that.
Geoff Morrell says he informed Defense Secretary Robert Gates of the shooting shortly after it happened, and the secretary spoke to President Barack Obama.
Al Pessin, VOA News, Pentagon
