KILLEEN, Texas – Officials at the Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen say 13 people are dead and over 30 are wounded in a mass shooting on the property.
According to spokesman Lt. Gen Bob Cone from Fort Hood, a soldier carrying two handguns opened fire at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the Soldier Readiness Center.
“It would be an environment that would be very susceptible to casualties or injuries,” Killeen City Manager Connie Green said.
Officials said Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan was shot and killed after quick response from security officers.
At least two other soldiers were taken into custody.
A civilian police officer was among the deceased. Some of the wounded were military personnel.
“We’re praying that those who are injured … are not seriously injured,” Green said.
Cone said the Army has set up a special operations center to handle the response. The FBI is sending agents to the scene.
Covering 339 square miles, Fort Hood is the largest active duty armored post in the United States. Home to about 52,000 troops as of earlier this year, the sprawling base is located halfway between Austin and Waco.
At the Soldier Readiness Center, soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening — on average about 300-400 screened a day.
The official base Web site posted a message that it was on lock down Thursday afternoon and in an emergency situation. It also urged people to stay indoors.
Nine schools on the base — seven elementary and two middle — were included in the lock down.
Obama Laments ‘Horrific Outburst of Violence’
President Barack Obama called the mass shooting a “horrific outburst of violence.”
He said he didn’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.
