I’ve been following the shootings at Fort Hood. There is still very sketchy information about what is going on. So far information on most news outlets saying at least 7 dead and 12-15 wounded. A Sergeant Major interviewed on CNN said that there were multiple shooters of which one has been caught. There is a manhunt underway. The friends that I know are safe, both young chaplains and certainly involved in what is going on. Reports say that the shooters were wearing the Army Combat Uniform and using “M-16s.” My guess is that the weapons were AR-15’s which can be bought on the outside and are readily available for $500-$800 through legitimate sellers. The are semi-automatic but can be modified to fire fully automatic.
No one is saying if the shooters were military or impostors or their motivation other than to kill soldiers. The shooting occurred at the “Soldier Readiness Center.” This is a place where deployers and returning warriors are processed and appears to also house the Combat Stress treatment center.
I used to train at Fort Hood when I was in the Texas Army National Guard back in the 1980s and 1990s. It is a huge base and the area where the shootings occurred is quite congested and heavily populated at mid-day.
I have suspicious that the shooters were impersonating Army personnel, agents of a terrorist organization planted in the military, or possibly members of a separatist or fundamentalist group that has infiltrated the Army.
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson is reporting close to 30 casualties.
More to follow…Pray for the the victims and their families.
Peace, Padre Steve+
The Inglorius Padre Steve's World 