Shooter in stable condition after killing 13, wounding 30

Nov 6 2009 - 5:14pm | Bianca Davis and Clay Thorp

US Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan is in custody and in stable condition after killing 13 and wounding 30 in a killing spree at the Soldier Readiness Center (SRC) at Ft. Hood near Killeen, Texas. 

Ft. Hood is the largest US military installation in the world, measuring approximately 360 miles across.

Hasan used two handguns which were not military issue, one being semi-automatic, said Commanding Officer Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone in a press conference late Thursday night.

Initial reports from Ft. Hood that Hasan had been killed proved to be rumor after Cone told reporters Hasan was alive and had been in custody since the time of the shooting.  The female first responder, initially reported dead, who wounded Hasan is alive and in stable condition, Cone said.

“We will continue to operate at a heightened level of security as well as continue to investigate that no threats remain,” Cone said. “We will move back to normalcy as soon as possible.”

Army personnel at Ft. Hood’s main gate said the SRC is a processing center for Army soldiers who are coming from and going to Iraq and Afghanistan. The SRC includes places for soldiers to receive dental check-ups, mental evaluations and any other standard medical treatment before being deployed.

Cone said Thursday was a make-up day at the SRC and Army personnel from different units all across the installation were in the building. 

Cone praised members of the armed forces who were first on the scene. Witnesses described soldiers ripping their own uniforms to use as tourniquets as the wounded poured from the building.

“This was a very enclosed area,” Cone said. “As bad as it was, I think it could’ve been a lot worse.”  

Hasan, a Virginia Tech graduate, was born in Arlington Virginia to Jordanian immigrants. 

Muslims at a mosque in Silver Springs, Md. where Hasan is said to have worshipped, told the Associated Press the doctor was soft-spoken. They said he was proud of his military service and was grateful to the Army for his medical education.

Army personnel at the main gate said the wounded were being held at Darnell military hospital on Ft. Hood as well as Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple, TX.

The names of the victims have not been released.

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