1810 EST
SHOOTINGS “EXECUTION-STYLE”
MALIK NADAL HASSAN, Nidal Malik Hassan, ARMY OFFICER is SHOOTER

UPDATE @ 2125
Ft. Hood Shooter is not dead–merely wounded.
TWELVE DEAD, 31 INJURED at FT HOOD, TEXAS

President Obama, speaking on the Fort Hood soldiers’ shooting on Fox News.

Please, everybody, have a seat. Let me first of all just thank Ken and the entire Department of the Interior staff for organizing just an extraordinary conference.

I want to thank my Cabinet members and senior administration officials who participated today. I hear that Dr. Joe Medicine Crow (ph) was around, and so I want to give a shout out to that Congressional Medal of Honor winner. It’s good to see you.

AFTER a few more remarks about how “hard his team would work”, the president got into the reason for the TV face time.

Now, I have to say, though, that beyond that, I had planned to make some broader remarks about the challenges that lay ahead for Native Americans as well as collaboration with our administration.

But as some of you might have heard, there has been a tragic shooting at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. We don’t yet know all the details at this moment. We will share them as we get them.

It was later learned that the President was attending a tribal leaders conference.

BREAKING: Malik Nadal Hassan is the shooter’s name that has just been released. The shootings were “execution-style”, not random.

MORE UPDATES follow.

UPDATE @ 1810 EST
Four involved, including the shooter, Hassan, who is dead. Two suspects have been released. One more is being sought.
UPDATE @ 1814 EST
Major Malik Nadal Hassan is an Army mental health professional.
Injured toll is up to 32.
Dept. of Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano was in London at a conference on domestic terrorism.
BREAKING: Shooter was a psychiatrist. With psych screenshot info.
Exact name of shooter is Nidal Malik Hassan, M.D.
Fox still calling him Malik Nidal Hassan.
UPDATE @ 1821 EST
Shooter taken down by a civilian police officer.
Earlier reports cited “gunmen”–plural.
Ft. Hood is still locked down.
Police have third suspect in custody now.
UPDATE @ 1838
FBI on site at Ft. Hood now.
Conflicting reports on whether 3rd man is in custody now or not.
BFH, I own the world: “In a formal statement, Obama says his official stance on insane, devout muslims in the military will be a strict “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.”
UPDATE @ 1844 EST
Ft. Hood is the biggest military installation in U.S.
Reports still unclear as to whether the 3rd suspect is in custody. Some report “yes, he is”. Others say authorities still looking.
UPDATE @ 1850 EST
Shooter used 2 handguns and fired over 40 of 50 rounds.
Earlier reports claimed Hassan was upset at being deployed to Iraq. Later reports dispute this and now it’s being said that he was recently transferred to the Ft. Hood hospital to work with mental patients. One report now says 11 dead, but most are claiming 12.
UPDATE @ 1900:
One report claims that “not sure as to number of shooters”. Earlier reports said one, two or three shooters.
Final toll appears to be: 12 killed (including shooter), 31 wounded.
Hassan was an Army major.
FT. Hood press conference is being pushed back from 1900.
UPDATE @ 1905 EST

[photo from Drudge...Nidal Malik Hassan]
Shootings began at 1:30 pm.
Involved: 1 dead, 2 in custody, 1 at large.
Hassan was transferred from Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC.
Fox News and other outlets are reporting shooter’s name as “Malik Nidal Hasssan” but online records seen here say “Nidal Malik Hassan”.
AP just now reporting that Hassan had just gotten a “poor” performance evaluation for his hospital work at Walter Reed.
Hassan was 39-years-old and a convert to Islam.
White House has set up a full situaton room on the event.
UPDATES @ 1915 EST:
Former colleague of Hassan saying that the Major had said, “Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan should rise up and kill Americans.”
Hassan got into several conflicts over US being in Iraq and Afghanistan. He had worked at Walter Reed for six years.
Now it’s being reported that Hassan WAS going to be deployed to Iraq and that he actively was working to keep from going.
Hassan was a “lone gunmen acting alone”. That assessment could change.
UPDATE @ 1923:
Hassan family member says that shooter was “always Muslim” and not a convert. Family member also says that Hassan was adamant about not going overseas. Hassan was born and raised in USA.
Ft. Hood is still locked down.
AP now reporting “2 others that were in custody for questioning have been released”.
UPDATE @ 1940:
Hassan targeted people that he knew, according to late reports. Whether he had confrontations with those he targeted hasn’t been established yet.
Army press conference still being pushed back… originally scheduled for 1830 then 1900…now, ?…
The two personnel who were questioned were two Army personnel attempting to take down the gunman, according to late reports. One person wanted for questioning still at large. No word on his involvement in the shooting.
UPDATE @ 1950:
The suspect that authorities were looking for is now reported to be in custody. The two who had been questioned has been released.
Nidal Malik Hasan seems to be the correct spelling of the shooter’s name, according to many news reports.
Rifle shots have been reported to have been fired. Speculation is that the man now in custody was using a rifle–but that is not confirmed.
UPDATE @ 2000:
There is the possibility–and a few reports–that some of those wounded have died.
No confirmation yet. MSNBC had earlier reports that one shooter armed with sniper rifle was holed up surrounded by a SWAT team. Pakistani press repeated this report. Would this individual be labeled “at large”?
Hasan joined the military out of high school.
Lock-down at Ft. Hood has now been cleared and base is now open.
Article will now be updated as new information is released or received. Army presser at Ft. Hood is still on hold.

UPDATE @ 2125
Ft. Hood Shooter is not dead–merely wounded.
UPDATE @ 2200:
Toll is 12 dead and 31 wounded.
The other three people sought were interviewed and released.
Army is now saying that the gunman Hasan acted alone.
Gunman made “outrageous” claims about U.S. foreign policy.
Female officer who first shot the gunman and was thought dead is actually alive and in stable condition.

by Mondo Frazier
image: DBKP file