Fort Hood shootings leave America grieving
Yesterday Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an army psychiatrist, opened fire at the Fort Hood military base in Killeen, Texas, killing 13 people. The BBC reports:
The shooting began at about 1330 (1930 GMT) on Thursday at a personnel and medical centre at Fort Hood – the largest US military base in the world, home to about 40,000 troops.
The commander of the base, Lt Gen Robert Cone, told NBC News that, according to eyewitnesses, Mr Hasan had shouted the Arabic phrase “Allahu Akbar!” [God is great] before opening fire.
He was shot four times during the attack and is currently being treated in hospital under armed guard.
Reports suggested that he had been increasingly unhappy in the military and that his work at his previous post – Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC – had been the subject of concern.
The New York Times said the FBI had been investigating internet postings by a man called Nidal Hasan that appeared to back suicide bombings – but said it was not clear whether it was the suspect.
How can we respond to such acts of terrible violence? Recently, Gary, a young man with a family living in Canada, faced an attack of his own: A package bomb left on the back steps of his home. Not knowing what the package was, he picked it up, and it exploded in his hands. Read Gary’s story of his survival, and how he was able to respond to an act of senseless violence.
If you are grieving or dealing with disappointment or despair, please contact us today to talk about it, we’re always here to listen.
Image credit: Daniel Greene, used with permission, Creative Commons 2.0 License.
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