U.S.: Fort Hood Reacts To Another Active Shooter

U.S. President Barack Obama talks to the press about the April 2 shooting incident at Fort Hood. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Summary

At least one gunman is reported to have opened fire at the Fort Hood military post in Killeen, Texas, killing three people and wounding as many as 14, over a reported dispute with another soldier. A Stratfor source reports that an individual -- believed to be the shooter, 34-year-old Ivan Lopez -- has been found dead, the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It is believed that the initial shooting incident occurred at a motor pool located near the Medical Brigade Building.

Analysis

As with any breaking event, preliminary reports may well be inaccurate and even conflicting. Eyewitnesses identified a white man wearing an Army Combat Uniform driving a gray Toyota and carrying a .45 caliber handgun.

The base has been locked down following the incident, which triggered an attack alarm. All personnel were advised to minimize movement and seek hard cover until the incident was resolved. The nearby Central Texas College in Killeen, 6 kilometers (4 miles) south of the base, also evacuated the premises as a precaution, cancelling all afternoon and evening classes.

Fort Hood is a large military establishment covering nearly 215,000 acres. Priorities for first responders, emergency services, base security and police special weapons units will be to secure the immediate area and neutralize any further threats. Given the substantial size of Fort Hood, this will entail a thorough and meticulous sweep of all areas. Such clearance requires numbers, time, precision and control.

Concurrently to securing the immediate and surrounding areas, triage will be taking place, with casualties at the scene prioritized and treated. Moderate casualties are being moved to Fort Hood's Darnall Medical Center, while more serious casualties could be taken to the nearest hospitals.

A widespread and intensive investigation will already be underway, focusing initially on what occurred and the sequence of events. This will be aligned with a thorough examination of the background of the shooter in an effort to unearth any possible motive for the attack and any likely accomplices.

This latest shooting comes almost five years after an incident at the same base when U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan killed 12 military personnel and one civilian and injured more than 30 others. Subsequently, Hasan was sentenced to death August 2013; he is currently on death row at a military correctional facility in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Large military facilities with significant civilian populations and daily commuters have always been notoriously hard to secure. In the wake of the 2009 Hasan incident, the Army received its security policies, instigating nationwide active shooter response team training.

A plot to carry out at attack at a restaurant near Fort Hood was foiled on July 27, 2011, when U.S. Army Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo was taken into custody. An alert employee at a gun store where Abdo allegedly bought materials to make improvised explosive devices noted the suspect's odd demeanor and called the police.

Abdo's case was an example of the danger of grassroots attackers -- and an example of a would-be lone wolf militant without the experience or capability necessary to carry out an attack. If the new shooting incident occurred as a result of a disgruntled employee scenario or an altercation that turned violent, it highlights the unpredictable nature of active shooter scenarios -- and the overall importance of vigilance, security and having trained personnel able to quickly respond.

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