Army says Hasan was lone gunman in Fort Hood attack

By DAVE MONTGOMERY

dmontgomery@star-telegram.com

FORT HOOD — The Army released the first details Saturday of its investigation of the Fort Hood shooting rampage, saying the evidence at this point shows that alleged assailant Nidal Malik Hasan acted alone.

Hasan, who was shot at least four times in an exchange of gunfire that ended the attacks, remained hospitalized at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

The Army psychiatrist has been identified as the gunman who killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 inside a soldier processing center, but he has not been formally charged.

"At this time, we have one alleged suspect connected to this mass shooting," said Chris Grey, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division.

He added that "this is an evolving ongoing criminal investigation."

Grey, whose agency is leading the investigation, also said there was no "friendly fire" evidence to suggest that any of the victims might have been struck by law enforcement gunfire that felled the assailant.

The 2-day-old investigation has also determined that "more lives may have been lost" if not for the efforts of first responders and soldiers at the scene, Grey said.

TheNew York Times reported that investigators have tentatively concluded that the attack was not part of a terrorist plot and that Hasan acted out of emotional, ideological and religious pressures.

But the newspaper, basing its report on interviews with federal officials who have been briefed on the inquiry, said that investigators have not ruled out the possibility that Hasan believed he was carrying out an extremist’s suicide mission.

Grey, acknowledging that "there are a lot of things that I can’t go into right now," said the Criminal Investigation Division is heading a multiagency task force that also includes the FBI; the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Rangers; the Homeland Security Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and area law enforcement organizations.

Investigators have questioned more than 170 witnesses and collected "critical evidence" in the opening phase of the inquiry, Grey said. He confirmed published reports that Hasan used two handguns: a 5.7 mm and a .357 Magnum revolver.

Col. John Rossi, who also participated in the midevening briefing, said more than 200 law officers are supporting the investigation. Hasan remains in Brooke’s intensive-care unit but is no longer on a respirator, Rossi said. He said he did not know when charges will be filed.

Gov. Rick Perry pledged that the state government stands ready "in any form or fashion" to help Fort Hood and the area recover from Thursday’s shooting rampage.

'Classic public servant’

Perry met with Kimberly Munley, the policewoman who helped end the rampage, and other victims still undergoing care at Temple’s Scott & White Memorial Hospital. He called Munley a "classic public servant."

Munley has been widely credited with stopping the shooting, but Army officials have also acknowledged the role of a second officer, Sgt. Mark Todd, in the final exchange of gunfire.