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General News
11/5/2009 6:02 PM ET
(RTTNews) -
At least one and perhaps as many as three U.S. soldiers went on a rampage at an Army base in Ft. Hood Texas leaving 12 dead and 31 wounded.
According to Maj. Gen. Robert Cone, the base commander, the primary shooter was killed by base military police and two other soldiers who may have been involved have been taken into custody.
The shooter, whom Cone did not identify, used two pistols in the attack, Cone said, opening fire around 1:30 p.m. in a facility where soldiers received their last processing before deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The base remains in lockdown for the moment, Cone said, saying they were seeking to proceed cautiously and carefully before lifting those restrictions.
At least two of the victims were reportedly in "very serious" condition.
"It's a terrible tragedy. It's stunning," Cone said. "The soldiers and family members and many of the great civilians who work here are absolutely devastated."
Cone said a motive for the shooting had not yet been determined.
President Barack Obama addressed the situation briefly Thursday afternoon, calling it a horrific outburst of violence.
"It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas," he said. "It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil."
Obama pledged to "stay on this" until all questions had been resolved and asked the country to keep the wounded victims and the families of the fallen in their thoughts and prayers.
"We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident," he said.
He added, "We don't yet know all the details at this moment; we will share them as we get them."
by RTT Staff Writer
For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com
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