November 6, 2009

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has declared a moment of silence for U.S. military forces worldwide as a show of respect for the Fort Hood victims.

The moment of silence is planned for 1:34 p.m. CST Friday --
exactly 24 hours after the shooting in Texas. All U.S. forces
worldwide are being asked to participate in the show of respect.

A spokesman says Gates has no immediate plans to travel to Fort
Hood.

Army Chief of Staff George Casey and Army Secretary John McHugh
arrived at the base Friday.

A military official says a 13th person has died after an army psychiatrist at a base in Fort Hood, Texas, turned on his colleagues in a shooting rampage on Thursday.

Officials Friday raised the toll after one of victims who was originally reported wounded died. Officials had said 30 were injured during the assault.

The suspected shooter, Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, 39, was on a ventilator and unconscious in a hospital after being shot four times.

November 5, 2009

The office of a Texas congressman says two soldiers who were taken into custody following a deadly rampage at Fort Hood have been released.

A spokesman for Rep. John Carter says Fort Hood officials
informed Carter's office of the release. Carter's congressional
district includes the Army post.

A soldier opened fire at Fort Hood on Thursday, killing 11 people and wounding 31 others. Authorities wounded the gunman.

Fort Hood spokesman Christopher Haug said a third person was in
custody, however.

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A U.S. Army spokesman says the Fort Hood shootings suspect is alive and was not killed by authorities responding to the attack.

Lt. Gen. Bob Cone also says the death toll from the attack remains 12 after another victim died.

Authorities said immediately after Thursday's attack that they had killed the suspected shooter. But Cone now says the suspected shooter is alive and stable condition.

Cone offered little explanation to reporters at a news conference as to why the suspect was believed dead, saying only there was confusion at the hospital.
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One soldier at Fort Hood says troops are constantly ready for battle while deployed, but can't defend themselves while on post.

The Army says a mental health doctor opened fire at a medical
screening center, killing at least eleven others and wounding 31
others. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was killed.

It was unclear what the motive was, though it appeared Hasan he
was upset about a scheduled deployment. U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey
Hutchison says military officials told her the Army major was about
to deployed overseas.

Retired Army Col. Terry Lee told Fox News that he worked with
Hasan, who had hoped President Barack Obama would pull troops out
of Afghanistan and Iraq. Lee said Hasan got into frequent arguments
about the wars, and had tried hard to prevent his pending
deployment.

Military officials say Hasan, a psychiatrist, had received a poor performance evaluation while at working at the Army's Walter Reed hospital in Washington.

The Army says two soldiers taken into custody were released
because they were not involved. A third person remains in custody

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Federal law enforcement officials say the suspected Fort Hood, Texas, shooter had come to their attention at least six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats.

The officials say the postings appeared to have been made by
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who was killed during the shooting incident
that left least 11 others dead and 31 wounded. The officials say
they are still trying to confirm that he was the author. They say
an official investigation was not opened.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were
not authorized to discuss the case.

One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates suicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a
grenade to save the lives of his comrades.

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Fort Riley released a statement regarding the shooting in Fort Hood.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to our friends and teammates at Fort Hood, Texas, in light of today's tragedy.

The safety and security of for Fort Riley Soldiers, families, and civilian workers is our primary concern," according to Major General Vincent K. Brooks, commanding general , 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley.

While Fort Riley remains and open post, they said the base says they are adjusting security measures in order to maintain their force protection vigilance.

"We continue to assess threats and will update our security posture as events dictate."

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The office of a Texas congressman says two soldiers who were taken into custody following a deadly rampage at Fort Hood have been released.

A spokesman for Rep. John Carter says Fort Hood officials informed Carter's office of the release. Carter's congressional district includes the Army post.

A soldier opened fire at Fort Hood on Thursday, killing 11 people and wounding 31 others. Authorities killed the gunman.

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Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison says the Army
major accused of the shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, was about to
deploy overseas.

Hutchison says she was told about the upcoming deployment by
generals based at Fort Hood. But it was unclear if he was headed to
Iraq or Afghanistan and exactly when he was scheduled to leave.

Military officials in Washington say the suspected shooter Maj.
Nidal Malik Hasan was a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical
Center for six years before being transferred to the Texas base in
July.

The soldier is accused of opening fire on the base on Thursday
in a shooting that left 11 other people dead and 31 wounded.
Authorities killed the gunman and apprehended two other soldiers.

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12 people were killed and 31 wounded in a mass shooting at Ft. Hood, Texas today.

The Army says one shooter has been killed and two others
apprehended on Thursday in the shooting and all are U.S. soldiers.

A law enforcement official says a shooting
suspect at Fort Hood has been identified as Army Maj. Malik Nadal
Hasan.

The official said Hasan, believed to be in his late 30s, was
killed after opening fire at the base. The official spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the
case publicly.

President Barack Obama is calling a mass shooting at a Texas Army base a "horrific outburst of violence."

He says he doesn't yet know all the details but promised the
government would get "answers to every single question."

The commander in chief says it's a tragedy to lose a soldier
overseas and even more horrifying when they come under fire at an
Army base on American soil.

Obama also said his thoughts and prayers are with the wounded
and families of the fallen.

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Statement from Defense Secretary Gates

"I am deeply saddened by the tragic events today at Fort Hood. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen, the wounded, and all those touched by this incident. There is little we can say at this point to alleviate the pain or answer the many questions this event raises, but I can pledge that the Department of Defense will do everything in its power to help the Fort Hood community get through these difficult times."