Shooting at Ft. Hood Texas 11/05/09 13 dead, 43 wounded-(Murder Charges)

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KIMBERLY MUNLEY AMERICAN HERO, Munley is said to be the one that stopped Hasans rampage. The hero cop who ended the bloody rampage at Fort Hood had been directing traffic moments before she confronted the gunman and pumped four bullets into him despite being shot herself.

Civilian police Sgt. Kimberly Munley and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire Thursday afternoon, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said Friday.

Munley, who had been trained in active-response tactics, rushed into the building and confronted the shooter as he was turning a corner, Cone said.

"It was an amazing and an aggressive performance by this police officer," Cone said.

Munley was only a few feet from crazed Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan when she opened fire.

Wounded in the exchange of gunfire, Munley was reported in stable condition at a local hospital.

The hero cop spent Thursday night phoning fellow officers to let them know she was fine and to find out about casualties in the attack - the deadliest ever on a military base in the U.S., Cone said.

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Amber Bahr

RANDOM LAKE, Wis. (AP) - A military spokesman has praised the heroics of a Wisconsin soldier who helped other soldiers injured in the Fort Hood shooting before tending to her own wounds.

Lt. Gen. Bob Cone told NBC's "Today" show Friday that 19-year-old Amber Bahr of Random Lake helped apply a tourniquet to an injured soldier. He says Bahr then attended to other soldiers before realizing she'd been shot.

Bahr was 1 of 30 soldiers injured in the shooting at the Texas base Thursday, which left 13 dead. Her family was originally told Bahr had been shot in the belly, but Bahr later told them she'd been shot in the back.

Her mother says it's a big relief to hear Bahr is OK.

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KEARA BONO(Torkelson) age 21

 21-year-old woman stationed in Topeka is among the wounded in the mass shooting in Fort Hood. 

Keara Bono-Torkleson is an Army Reservist who arrived at Fort Hood on Wednesday.  She's from Independence, Missouri but was in Ft. Hood to work with soldiers who returned from Iraw with wartime stress.

Bono-Torkleson was shot in the back of her left shoulder - but her mother says she will be okay.

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Matthew Cook, son-in-law of Jamie and Scotty Casteel. Cook is from New York State and has been home from Iraq for about a year. "He's been shot in the abdomen and that's all we know," Jamie Casteel told The Associated Press.



Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/06/fort-hood-victims-names_n_348250.html&cp

NO pic yet!!

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Update | 9:31 a.m. My colleague Liz Robbins has spoken with the family of one of the soldiers who was killed in Thursday’s rampage, a 21-year-old Army Private named Michael Pearson. A relative confirmed his death and said that his parents, Sheryll and Jeff, were trying to get some sleep after being up all night. Pfc. Pearson was the youngest of four children and joined the army a little more than a year ago.

According to a post on the news Web site ChicagoBreakingnews.com, his mother said on Friday that Pfc. Pearson was training to learn how to deactivate bombs and had joined the military because “He was working for a furniture company and felt like he wasn’t going anywhere.” She added:

He felt he was in a rut. He wanted to travel, see the world. He also wanted an opportunity to serve the country.

Mrs. Pearson also said that the family initially assumed their son was safe,

But as they were driving home about 6:30 p.m., they received a call on their cell phone from Mike’s sergeant at Ft. Hood. Mike, he said, had been shot three times–in the spine and chest. He said Mike had lost a lot of blood.

About 10 p.m., an Army surgeon called to say that Mike hadn’t made it. He said doctors had brought Mike back to life twice on the operating table but were unsuccessful the third time.

“His father is still in shock and very angry,” Sheryll Pearson said. “We’re all very angry.”

No pic

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Richmond County native is among the 30 people wounded in an attack by an Army officer at Fort Hood, Texas.

Staff Sgt. Alonzo (Mac) Lunsford had been stationed at the Texas base for about a year. His mother, Johnsey, is city clerk for the City of Rockingham. On Friday flags in the city were at half-staff where they will remain through Sunday.

Lunsford, who stands 6-foot-10, is in his early 40s according to city staff. He got the nickname "Big Mac" while in high school at Richmond Senior High School because of his size.

He was four times and two of the bullets have been removed, according to Mayor Gene McLaurin. Two of the shots were in his stomach, one in his back and one grazed his face.

“Mac is a really fine guy, and I know he loves his mother,” McLaurin said Friday.

Lunsford is sepearated from his wife and the father of two.

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Update | 9:31 a.m. My colleague Liz Robbins has spoken with the family of one of the soldiers who was killed in Thursday’s rampage, a 21-year-old Army Private named Michael Pearson. A relative confirmed his death and said that his parents, Sheryll and Jeff, were trying to get some sleep after being up all night. Pfc. Pearson was the youngest of four children and joined the army a little more than a year ago.

According to a post on the news Web site ChicagoBreakingnews.com, his mother said on Friday that Pfc. Pearson was training to learn how to deactivate bombs and had joined the military because “He was working for a furniture company and felt like he wasn’t going anywhere.” She added:

He felt he was in a rut. He wanted to travel, see the world. He also wanted an opportunity to serve the country.

Mrs. Pearson also said that the family initially assumed their son was safe,

But as they were driving home about 6:30 p.m., they received a call on their cell phone from Mike’s sergeant at Ft. Hood. Mike, he said, had been shot three times–in the spine and chest. He said Mike had lost a lot of blood.

About 10 p.m., an Army surgeon called to say that Mike hadn’t made it. He said doctors had brought Mike back to life twice on the operating table but were unsuccessful the third time.

“His father is still in shock and very angry,” Sheryll Pearson said. “We’re all very angry.”

No pic

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The wife of a Michigan soldier stationed at Ford Hood, Texas, says he was one of 31 people wounded during a rampage that left 12 people dead.

Ashley Saucedo, a native of Greenville, tells WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids that her husband Ray was shot in the arm Thursday afternoon. She says she isn't allowed to discuss specifics of her husband's injuries.

Saucedo says she and the couple's two children weren't permitted to leave their home during the shooting. The Saucedos moved to Fort Hood in July.

WOOD-TV says it isn't known whether Ray Saucedo was shot by the suspect, identified as Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, or security personnel trying to stop the 39-year-old psychiatrist.

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Cpl. Nathan Hewitt was hit by two bullets as he led other soldiers out of the Fort Hood building where Thursday's deadly rampage took place, says his uncle Rex Deaton, who spoke with him two hours after the shooting.
Deaton told USA TODAY that Hewitt described one bullet grazing his hip and another hitting his calf. His nephew served in Iraq, left the Army and re-enlisted after he was laid off from a factory job, Deaton says. The corporal was at Fort Hood preparing to be deployed to Afghanistan.


BASE BLOODSHED: Gunman praised God, opened fire

Hewitt, 27, of Lafayette, Ind., was in the Fort Hood facility getting shots and a physical when the shooting began.

"He said the best he could recollect, a door swung open and he heard a lot of yelling," his uncle said. "He saw a man dressed in military garb or uniform, then there were just shots being fired all over the place and of course he hit the floor," Deaton says. "He directed himself and others to a back door and that's when he was hit."

"He's a very good young man," Deaton says. "Quiet, kind of keeps to himself pretty much. He was very proud to be in the military."

Hewitt's mother, Liz Hewitt, who also lives in Lafayette, is preparing to travel to Texas to see her son, Deaton says. Gloria Deaton, Hewitt's aunt, says Liz Hewitt is a single mom who raised two sons. She's at work today at Purdue University's chemistry department.

Gloria Deaton says Nathan told his mom Thursday night not to call him before noon — he planned to sleep in. "We're all waiting to give him a big hug," Gloria Deaton says.

Cant find pic so far

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George Stratton said his son, George Stratton III, was five feet away from the shooter and suffered a gunshot wound to his left shoulder.

He said: "I talked to him right before surgery. He said, 'Dad, I'm getting ready to go into surgery. I love you."

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DES MOINES, Iowa -- An Iowa soldier who arrived at Fort Hood in Texas this week is among the soldiers wounded in a rampage that left 13 others dead on Thursday.

 
 

Jerry Nelson, of Des Moines, said his daughter, Staff Sgt. Joy Clark, 27, was in the Soldier Readiness Center on Thursday when a gunman came in. Nelson said a soldier in front his daughter was shot. He said she "peeled off her jacket to cover the soldier" and that's when she was shot in her left forearm.

Nelson, who spoke with his daughter Friday, said she is in stable condition and is awaiting surgery.

Clark arrived in Fort Hood on Tuesday for additional training with a medical team. She was scheduled to be deployed overseas later this year.

Clark was formerly based in Des Moines with an U.S. Army Reserve unit.

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OBAMA:  "DON'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS"

 

Alleged Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Malik Hasan Was 'Calm,' Methodical During Massacre
Death Toll at 13; Alleged Gunman Paralyzed ABC News Has Learned

By CHRIS CUOMO, EMILY FRIEDMAN, SARAH NETTER, and RICHARD ESPOSITO
Nov. 6, 2009

Witnesses to Thursday's massacre at Fort Hood said alleged shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan appeared calm and shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire at a crowd of young soldiers, pausing only to reload before he was taken down by a female officer who is being hailed as a hero.

It was very deliberate in his approach, they said that he was calm," Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone, the base commander at Fort Hood, told "Good Morning America" today.
 
"He was shooting people more than once if he could," said Cone.
 
The attacker killed 13 people and wounded 30. The Fort Hood Web site today addressed the tragedy with a line reading "Friday Is Day of Mourning! -- The duty day will begin no earlier than 0900."
President Obama warned today against "jumping to conclusions" regarding the motive for the shooting and ordered flags to be flown at half staff until Veteran's Day, saying that the "entire nation is grieving."
 
The president said he had met with the FBI chief to discuss the massacre.
Cone told NBC's "Today" show that eyewitnesses remember hearing Hasan, who is a Muslim, shouting "God is great!" in Arabic right before he opened fire.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/fort-hood-shooter-maj-nidal-malik-hasan-calm/story?id=9012995

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Officer Kim Munley, pictured here with country singer Dierks Bentley at a July 4 Fort Hood festival, in a photo from Munley's

Female Police Officer Credited With Stopping Fort Hood Massacre, Hailed a Hero
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,572574,00.html

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MOMENT OF SILENCE AT 1:34 pm CST


Update | 1:01 p.m. The moment of silence for the victims of Thursday’s shooting rampage at Fort Hood will be at 1:34 Central Time, which is 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time — about 90 minutes from now. Immediately following that there will be a news conference with John McHugh, the new Secretary of the Army — whose vacated seat in the House caused the special election earlier this week in New York’s 23rd Congressional district.

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OBAMA:  "DON'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS"

 

Alleged Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Malik Hasan Was 'Calm,' Methodical During Massacre
Death Toll at 13; Alleged Gunman Paralyzed ABC News Has Learned

By CHRIS CUOMO, EMILY FRIEDMAN, SARAH NETTER, and RICHARD ESPOSITO
Nov. 6, 2009

Witnesses to Thursday's massacre at Fort Hood said alleged shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan appeared calm and shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire at a crowd of young soldiers, pausing only to reload before he was taken down by a female officer who is being hailed as a hero.

It was very deliberate in his approach, they said that he was calm," Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone, the base commander at Fort Hood, told "Good Morning America" today.
 
"He was shooting people more than once if he could," said Cone.
 
The attacker killed 13 people and wounded 30. The Fort Hood Web site today addressed the tragedy with a line reading "Friday Is Day of Mourning! -- The duty day will begin no earlier than 0900."
President Obama warned today against "jumping to conclusions" regarding the motive for the shooting and ordered flags to be flown at half staff until Veteran's Day, saying that the "entire nation is grieving."
 
The president said he had met with the FBI chief to discuss the massacre.
Cone told NBC's "Today" show that eyewitnesses remember hearing Hasan, who is a Muslim, shouting "God is great!" in Arabic right before he opened fire.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/fort-hood-shooter-maj-nidal-malik-hasan-calm/story?id=9012995

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said we must gather
facts and determine how to prevent a similar tragedy.

Sen. Cornyn: Don't jump to conclusions over Fort Hood shootings

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http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/06/texas.fort.hood.shootings/index.html

Sgt. Fanuaee Vea, left, embraces Pvt. Savannah Green outside the gate of Fort Hood on Thursday.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

    * NEW: Fort Hood observing day of mourning Friday, deputy commanding general says
    * NEW: President cautions against "jumping to conclusions" about what set off shooting
    * Raid seeks clues at home of suspect; neighbors say he cleaned out his apartment
    * Watch a CNN special investigation on the shootings, Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on CNN TV

There are several video clips available at the link above.
The CNN Special Investigations Unit looks into the causes and effects of the Fort Hood shootings, Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on CNN TV.

Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- Investigators looking into a massacre at the nation's largest military base pieced through the gruesome scene Friday morning and raided the home of the alleged gunman, searching for answers.

Military officials at Fort Hood also faced another, equally difficult task: notifying the families of the 13 people killed Thursday inside a military processing center.

"Today on Fort Hood, we will observe a day of mourning, remembering in our thoughts and prayers the victims of this incident," said Col. John Rossi, deputy commanding general at the post.

The alleged shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a psychiatrist who worked in a hospital at the post, is blamed for the deaths of 12 soldiers and one civilian, military officials said.

Another 30 people were wounded; 28 of them required hospitalization. About half required surgery, and all were in stable condition Friday morning, said Col. Steven Braverman, hospital commander at Fort Hood.

In news interviews Friday, the post's commander, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone, said witnesses have reported that the gunman yelled "Allahu akbar" -- Arabic for "God is great" -- during the rampage. Cone said investigators had not confirmed that.
Video: Video of shooting suspect
Video: Shooting at U.S. army base
Video: 'Shocked and bewildered'
Gallery: Shooting at Fort Hood
RELATED TOPICS

    * Fort Hood
    * U.S. Armed Forces
    * Shootings

President Obama, in remarks Friday morning, cautioned against "jumping to conclusions" about what had triggered "one of the worst mass shootings ever to take place on an American military base."

He ordered that flags at the White House and other federal buildings be flown at half staff until Wednesday, which is Veterans Day. "This is a modest tribute to those who lost their lives, even as many were preparing to risk their lives for their country," the president said.

"It's also a recognition of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect our safety and uphold our values. We honor their service, we stand in awe of their sacrifice, and we pray for the safety of those who fight and for the families of those who have fallen."

He said he met with FBI Director Robert Mueller and other relevant agencies to discuss the investigation. And he promised that his administration will provide updates.

The police officer who shot the gunman, ending the massacre, was among the wounded. Officer Kimberly Munley of the Fort Hood Police Department "just happened very fortunately to be very close to the incident scene," Cone told CNN's "American Morning."

She shot the gunman four times and was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with him.

"Really a pretty amazing and aggressive performance by this police officer," Cone said.

Exact details of what happened remain unclear. Investigators were looking into whether some soldiers may have been shot accidentally by others trying to shoot the gunman. Investigators are analyzing "all the rounds, the trajectories, all the weapons, all the shots, where they came from," Rossi said. "That will be determined by the investigators."

Are you there? Share your stories, photos and videos

The central question they're investigating is what may have cause a member of the military to shoot his comrades -- particularly one trusted with helping others achieve a healthier mental state.

"He took care of soldiers with behavioral health problems and also evaluated people who had disability evaluations," Braverman told reporters Friday morning.

Asked whether Hasan, 39, had seemed adequately prepared for his job, Braverman responded, "We had no indication otherwise."

Hasan had received deployment orders, military officials said. There were conflicting reports as to whether he was to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Since 2001, Hasan had been telling his family that he wanted to get out of the military but was unsuccessful, said a spokeswoman for his cousin, Nader Hasan. She added that he told his family that he had been taunted after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the spokeswoman said.

After searching Hasan's apartment for hours Thursday, FBI agents were back Friday morning, searching one trash bin and removing another from the apartment complex.

Jacqueline Harris, who lives in the apartment on the other side of Hasan, told CNN the FBI has taken her boyfriend's computer because Hasan frequently used it.

Miguel Rivera, a resident of the complex, said he saw Hasan throwing items away the morning of the shooting. Other neighbors said Hasan cleaned out his apartment Thursday morning, and several said he gave them copies of the Quran.

Hasan's next-door neighbor, Patricia Billa, said he gave her his furniture and paid her $60 to clean his apartment hours before the shooting. "He told me he was leaving for Iraq or somewhere," Billa told CNN. "I didn't think much of it."

CNN obtained surveillance video from a 7-Eleven convenience store in Fort Hood that shows a man -- who according to the store owner is Hasan -- at the cashier's counter about 6:20 a.m. Thursday, about seven hours before the shooting. The man is dressed in traditional Arab garb.

Hasan came in for coffee and hash browns most mornings, the store owner said.

Nader Hasan issued a statement late Thursday on behalf of their family, saying they were "shocked" by the shootings. "We are filled with grief for the families of today's victims," the statement says. "Our family loves America. We are proud of our country, and saddened by today's tragedy."

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Nov. 6: Federal agents search the apartment of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan in Killeen, Texas.

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George Stratton said his son, George Stratton III, was five feet away from the shooter and suffered a gunshot wound to his left shoulder.

He said: "I talked to him right before surgery. He said, 'Dad, I'm getting ready to go into surgery. I love you."

George Stratton III was one of those shot at Fort Hood.

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Scott & White hospital in Temple needed blood donors
for Fort Hood victims, but is all full.

Photo By: Ed Medina

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A 1998 Kiel High School graduate, Amy Krueger, is among those killed at Fort Hood, Texas, the victim's mother said Friday

Friends share memories of Kiel woman killed at Fort Hood

By Cindy Hodgson and Patrick Wade • Herald Times Reporter • November 6, 2009

KIEL — Friends and family have gathered in the small town to remember Amy Krueger, a 1998 Kiel High School graduated who was killed in the attacks at Fort Hood, Texas, on Thursday that left 13 dead and 30 injured.

Additional information
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♦ Photos: Shooting at Ft. Hood
♦ Story: Troubling portrait emerges of accused shooter
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Random Lake native Amber Bahr was shot in the back, and she is recovering Friday.

Krueger, a sergeant with the Madison-based 467th Medical Detachment, had arrived at Fort Hood on Tuesday and was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan in December, said her mother, Jeri Krueger. She had previously spent three months in Afghanistan in 2002.

Amy Krueger and a friend, Kristin Thayer, went to a recruiter to enlist together the day after Sept. 11, 2001, Thayer said. Thayer, a 1999 Kiel High School graduate, was discharged after eight years of service last week.

Amy Krueger was a reservist who was called to active duty last year. She left from Milwaukee for training in California toward the beginning of October.

“She wanted to serve. She was excited about it. She wanted to help people,” Thayer said.

Amy Krueger was scheduled to be discharged on Oct. 29, 2010, but Thayer said she was considering pursuing a career as a military police officer.

“Amy was a soldier,” said friend Denise Morley. “She was ready to go fight for our country.”

Morley said Amy Krueger came back positive after the first experience, and “there was never a negative story.”

Jeri Krueger said she tried many times to reach her daughter on Thursday but was unsuccessful.

“All we got was her voicemail,” Thayer said.

Morley said friends gathered Thursday night waiting to hear from Amy Krueger. She said the longer they waited, the more they feared the worst.

“And the worst came true,” Morley said.

Officers arrived at 2 a.m. Friday to tell Jeri Krueger her daughter had been killed.

“Why this way,” Jeri Krueger said. “Not that anyway’s good, but my gosh.”

She said she last spoke with her daughter after she arrived at the Texas military base on Tuesday.

“She called to tell me she made it safe,” Jeri Krueger said, and they always said “I love you” before hanging up the phone.

Upon enlisting, Jeri Krueger told her daughter she would not be able to take on Osama bin Laden by herself.

“Watch me,” was Amy Krueger’s response.

Jeri Krueger has two other children, ages 23 and 20. She spoke with a good friend of her 23-year-old daughter, Nicole Gilbertson, on Friday morning.

“I can’t even imagine what you’re going through,” Gilbertson told Jeri Krueger.

“Nobody know’s what to say,” Jeri Krueger responded. “And that’s all right.”

Her family contacted Kiel High School this morning to relay the news. Dario Talerico, the school’s principal, has informed students and staff at the school of the news.

Thayer said Amy Krueger was active in sports during her time at Kiel High School. Volleyball, basketball, softball and swimming were among her activites.

“She was a lot of fun. Definitely knew how to have a good time,” Thayer said.

Other members of Krueger’s family went to Kiel High School, but Talerico wasn’t immediately sure how many.

Morley said friends referred to her as “Kruegs,” and it has been that way ever since they became friends in middle school.

Amy Krueger was a student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater working toward a degree in psychology, Thayer said. She already held a 2-year degree from UW-Sheboygan.

Thayer said the situation “doesn’t feel real yet,” and described Amy Krueger as the best friend anyone could have.

“She lived every day like it was her last,” Thayer said.

Watch www.htrnews.com for more details as they become available.
http://www.htrnews.com/article/20091106/MAN0101/91106036/1984/MANopinion/UPDATE-12-15-p.m.--Friends-share-memories-of-Kiel-woman-killed-at-Fort-Hood