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Thursday, November 5, 2009

 

There's a startling story this afternoon out of Ford Hood in Texas -- a shooting that has killed seven people and wounded anywhere from 12-15 people wounded. As I type this, I'm watching an interview on CNN with Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, the commander of Katrina relief efforts and former commander at the Texas base. He says that the attack was carried out by two and maybe three gunmen -- possibly soldiers at the base, although that is not confirmed -- armed with M-16s, and that one of the shooters has not yet been apprehended but is "cornered."

The possibilities boggle the mind -- typically a tragedy of this magnitude is the act of a lone gunman. (It's certainly possible that an armed soldier was trying to defend himself, which would cause confusion about the number of shooters.) Fort Hood is a staging area for troops coming home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Right now, the only thing anyone can do or say with any certainty is to pray for the families and spouses of those who lost their lives in this horrible incident.

More later.

UPDATE: CNN's Barbara Starr reports death toll rises to 12.

UPDATE II: Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, an Army mental health professional said to be upset about a pending deployment to Iraq, is identified as the lone gunman. As discussed earlier, the reports of other gunmen are apparently erroneous.

Posted by Will Bunch @ 3:54 PM  Permalink | 149 comments
Comments   
Posted 04:39 PM, 11/05/2009
Tom Kearney
Katrima?????
Posted 04:46 PM, 11/05/2009
will
Fixed, sorry. Watching the news accounts and still baffled by this -- I can't help but think the multiple gunmen report will be the result of massive confusion, whioh is often the case. However, still saying more than one shooter, possibly one on the loose.
Posted 05:27 PM, 11/05/2009
gordonminor
Why do you have a picture of a historic marker in Virginia with this post?
Posted 05:39 PM, 11/05/2009
AngryWhiteMale
ABC reported the identity of the shooter....surprise, surprise...and on US bases, typically the only armed soldiers are MPs...you would know that if you wore the uniform at one time...
Posted 05:52 PM, 11/05/2009
Hamlet
Yeah, it's the "multiple gunmen" that has me baffled. I can see one guy going bonkers, but more than one is a plan. Hey AWM, I hear you're not really an American (or a man, for that matter) if you didn't "wear the uniform" (and shower with a bunch of guys from places like Beufort, SC). Let's hear you say it, dude: Ameeeerica! F%^&* Yeah!
Posted 05:58 PM, 11/05/2009
jwad (D)
"Why do you have a picture of a historic marker in Virginia with this post?" - Simple answer because he puts little to no effort into this - he just slaps something up that looks good from the first google image search page and recites the liberal talking points.
Posted 06:00 PM, 11/05/2009
legatus
What do you have against Beaufort, SC Hamlet? It's a fine small town, and the home of one of the greatest Marine aviation units, the Thunderbolts of VMFA-251. OO-RAH!
Posted 06:21 PM, 11/05/2009
John Gualt
Obama's speech was revolting, all you need to see is his demeanor as he started the speech… and his tone of voice… no sadness… no regret… you could tell this had no effect on him personaly. I guess its a Muslim thing. Allah Akbar Obama
Posted 06:30 PM, 11/05/2009
tr88
Mry first reaction is to hope no one says anything that might be perceived as hurting any Muslim's feelings. I hope NPR hops on that first thing tomorrow.
Posted 06:38 PM, 11/05/2009
AngryWhiteMale
hamlet - one other requirement: bite the head off a chicken during survivor training. Got feathers?
Comment removed.
Posted 07:00 PM, 11/05/2009
BOHICA LIVES
hamlet hates the military, when he was young and wanted to play army with his neighborhood friends, they made him be the nurse, he also hates male nurses too. Beaufort, SC is a great town, the site of one of my favorite movies, "The Great Santini". My prayers go out to the victims and their families.
Comment removed.
Posted 07:41 PM, 11/05/2009
will
My only reaction is sadness for the loved ones of those who died and were wounded. Your reaction is a little weird, bpphilly.
Comment removed.
About Will Bunch
Will's book: Learn about it here and purchase it here.

Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.

E-mail Will by clicking here.

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