Gunmen open fire at Navy Yard in Washington, several killed, injured

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

Gunmen open fire at Navy Yard in Washington, several killed, injured

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By Ian Simpson and Susan Heavey
WASHINGTON | Mon Sep 16, 2013 1:00pm EDT

(Reuters) - Up to three gunmen, at least two dressed in military-style clothing, killed several people and wounded at least four others in a shooting spree at the U.S. Navy Yard on Monday, officials said.

A suspected gunman was among the dead and Washington D.C. police said they were searching for two other possible shooters they described as one white man and one black man. Officials said not all the facts were immediately known about the shooting that began at about 8:36 a.m. EDT.

A Navy official said earlier that four people had died and eight others were injured after at least one gunman opened fire at the heavily guarded site, where about 3,000 people work.

But other officials suggested caution over those numbers saying the situation was in flux. Washington police declined to give a number of fatalities, saying there were "multiple victims deceased inside" the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters, just 2.6 miles from the White House.

Among the injured were a District of Columbia police officer, who was in stable condition in surgery, and one other law enforcement officer, officials said.

"There was three gunshots straight in a row," said Patricia Ward, who works at the Navy Yard, describing how she first heard the gunfire while having breakfast at the headquarters building.

A few seconds later, Ward said she heard four more gunshots. Security guards rushed in and got people out as fast as they could - "'Run, run, run,' they told people," Ward told reporters.

Washington Hospital Center said it was treating three gunshot victims, who were in critical condition, and was expecting more to arrive but it was not clear how many.

The shooting hit the military establishment less than three weeks after U.S. Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death for murdering 13 people in 2009 at Fort Hood, Texas, where he gunned down unarmed soldiers in what he later called retaliation for U.S. wars in Muslim countries.

Dozens of police and emergency vehicles surrounded the complex in southeast Washington, which is about a mile south of the U.S. Capitol, local media reported.

Helicopters circled the headquarters with some touching down on the building's roof, according to a live feed by Washington's WJLA TV.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it briefly suspended departures at Reagan National Airport. The District of Columbia Public Schools have put six schools and an administration building on lockdown as a precaution.

The White House urged citizens to follow instructions from authorities and first responders and said President Barack Obama had been briefed.

The Washington Navy Yard is the oldest shore facility of the U.S. Navy. A former shipyard and ordinance plant, the facility in southeast Washington is currently home to the Naval Sea Systems Command, Navy museum and other facilities.

The yard, less than 2 miles southeast of the Capitol building, is a favorite for ceremonies. The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, formally welcomed his Chinese counterpart to the United States in a ceremony there last Thursday.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was receiving regular updates on the situation and was "obviously very concerned of reports that there has been loss of life." Little declined to provide additional details on the situation, saying it remained "fluid and ongoing."

(Additional reporting by the Washington bureau; Editing by Grant McCool)

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

Shooting rampage at US naval base, 'multiple' victims

AFP Updated September 17, 2013, 3:52 am

WASHINGTON (AFP) - One gunman has been killed and two others may still be at large after a shooting rampage Monday at the US Navy Yard in Washington that left several people dead, police said.

At least one police officer was among the wounded as police and federal agents descended on the installation, blocking streets only blocks from the US Capitol, home of Congress.

"We have one shooter that we believe involved in this that is deceased," Washington police chief Cathy Lanier told a press conference.

"The big concern for us right now is that we potentially have two other shooters that we have not located at this point."

Lanier said one suspect was a white male seen with a handgun and wearing khaki clothes that resembled a naval uniform.

The second suspect is a black male in his 50s who possibly had a "long gun" and was clad in an olive-drab, military-style uniform, she said.

But, with conflicting reports about the incident swirling, Lanier said the details on the potential surviving suspects were not confirmed as police searched for the two men.

There was still no precise toll of the dead and injured but Lanier said: "I'd say we have multiple victims inside that are deceased."

She did not say how the gunman died and earlier media reports had said a shooter had allegedly barricaded himself in a room in a headquarters building.

The shooting was described as "an isolated incident" by the city's mayor, Vincent Gray, and US officials did not cite any suspected link to terrorism.

It was unclear how one or more gunman could have penetrated the heavy security that surrounds the Navy Yard, which is located on the Anacostia River, less than two miles (three kilometers) from the Capitol.

But the description of the two other potential shooters perhaps wearing uniforms raised the possibility the attack was carried out by insiders who had military passes to enter the facility.

The police chief confirmed a Washington DC police officer was among those injured in the rampage, and hospital officials said he was in critical condition with wounds to his legs.

One employee at the Navy Yard, Patrica Ward, said she had just paid for her breakfast at a cafeteria when shots rang out.

"I was waiting for my friend to pay for when we heard the gun shot. It was three gun shots straight in a row, 'pow-pow-pow,'" she told reporters.

"Three seconds later it was 'pow-pow-pow.' So it was like a total of seven gun shots. And we just started running."

The guard "told all of us to just run, to get away as fast as you can."

She said employees do not have to pass through a metal detector when they enter the building.

Police blocked off intersections around the Navy Yard as military troops in uniform stood guard at street corners and patrol boats moved in near the site along the banks of the Anacostia river.

Crowds of onlookers stood on sidewalks watching the drama unfold and at a construction site near the Navy Yard.

The US Navy on its Twitter account said "several" people had been injured, while police officers told local media up to 10 people had been wounded.

Several schools in the area were on lockdown as a precaution, authorities said, and flights out of the nearby Reagan National Airport were delayed.

The Navy said at least three shots were fired at 8:20 am (1320 GMT) in the headquarters building of the Naval Sea Systems Command.

About 3,000 people work at the headquarters, which oversees the building and buying of warships and combat systems.

The site, which includes a naval history museum, dates back to the early 1800s, starting out as a shipbuilding center.

The complex also has a residence which serves as the home of the four-star chief of the US Navy, Admiral Jonathan Greenert.

The White House said President Barack Obama had been briefed several times about the shooting spree by top security and counter-terrorism officials.

"As this investigation moves forward, we will do everything in our power to make sure whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible," Obama said.

The US president lamented that America was confronting "yet another mass shooting" and said service men and women should not have to expect to confront danger at home.

Flake · Sep 17, 2013

At least 12 deaths in US naval base shooting: police

AFP Updated September 17, 2013, 4:22 am

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A shooting rampage at a Washington naval base claimed at least 12 lives including that of an unidentified gunman, city police chief Cathy Lanier told reporters Monday.

Lanier said two more potential suspects were still at large after the shooting at the Washington Naval Yard and that the motive of the shooter or shooters was not yet known.

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

At least 12 dead in shooting at US naval post in Washington

AFP Updated September 17, 2013, 6:06 am

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A shooting rampage at a US naval base in the heart of Washington claimed at least 12 lives Monday, including the gunman, while another possible suspect remained at large, police said.

The shooting sparked a massive show of force as police and federal agents surrounded the Navy Yard, cordoning off streets only blocks from the US Capitol, home of Congress.

US officials gave no indication of any link to terrorism, while police said the motive for the attack on the installation was unknown.

"At this hour, it appears that we have at least 12 fatalities," Washington DC police chief Cathy Lanier told a press conference.

She initially said there were two other potential shooters on the loose, but her deputies later said one of these suspects had been cleared.

Police were searching for a black male aged 40 to 50 clad in an olive-drab, military-style uniform, she said.

With streets blocked off, Lanier warned residents near the Navy Yard that police were still conducting an "active search."

"Stay in your homes and stay out of the area," she said.

As the FBI took charge of the investigation, conflicting reports swirled online, and a clear picture of exactly what had happened at the naval installation had yet to emerge.

Earlier media reports had said a shooter allegedly barricaded himself in a room in a headquarters building.

US defense officials would not confirm or deny reports that the shooter may have served in the Navy.

It was unclear how one or more attackers could have penetrated the heavy security that surrounds the Navy Yard, which is located on the Anacostia River, less than two miles (three kilometers) from the Capitol.

The description of the other potential shooter wearing a uniform raised the possibility that the attack was carried out by insiders who had military passes to enter the facility.

The police chief confirmed a Washington DC police officer was among those injured in the rampage, and hospital officials said he was in critical condition with wounds to his legs.

One employee at the Navy Yard, Patricia Ward, said she had just paid for her breakfast at a cafeteria when shots rang out.

"I was waiting for my friend to pay when we heard the gun shot. It was three gun shots straight in a row, 'pow-pow-pow,'" she told reporters.

"Three seconds later it was 'pow-pow-pow.' So it was like a total of seven gun shots. And we just started running."

The guard "told all of us to just run, to get away as fast as you can."

She said employees do not have to pass through a metal detector when they enter the building.

Police blocked off intersections around the Navy Yard as military troops in uniform stood guard at street corners and patrol boats moved in near the site along the banks of the Anacostia river.

Crowds of onlookers stood on sidewalks watching the drama unfold, as helicopters swarmed overhead.

The US Navy on its Twitter account said "several" people had been injured, while police officers told local media up to 10 people had been wounded.

Flights out of the nearby Reagan National Airport were briefly delayed and schools were on lockdown until anxious parents came to pick up their children in the afternoon.

The US Senate adjourned for the day as a precaution and Washington's baseball team, the Nationals, whose stadium is adjacent to the Navy Yard, called off its Monday evening game.

The Navy said at least three shots were fired at 8:20 am (1320 GMT) in the headquarters building of the Naval Sea Systems Command.

About 3,000 people work at the headquarters, which oversees the building and buying of warships and combat systems.

The site, which includes a naval history museum, dates back to the early 1800s, starting out as a shipbuilding center.

The complex also has a residence which serves as the home of the four-star chief of the US Navy, Admiral Jonathan Greenert.

President Barack Obama called the shooting a "cowardly act" and lamented that America was confronting "yet another mass shooting," saying troops in the military should not have to confront danger at home.

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

13 dead in Navy Yard shooting; 1 suspect dead, 1 sought

Chris Moody and Dylan Stableford 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON — At least 13 people died Monday during a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, officials said. One gunman died in the shooting, and police are seeking another possible shooter.

The suspected gunman was identified by the FBI as Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old civilian contractor from Queens, New York, who most recently resided in Fort Worth, Texas.

The U.S. Navy said Alexis was a full-time reservist from 2007 to 2011. He left the Navy on Jan. 31, 2011, as a petty officer 3rd class and had been working for the fleet logistics support squadron No. 46 in Fort Worth.

Washington Mayor Vincent Gray said Alexis was shot during an exchange with the Metro Police officer.

Alexis was arrested in Fort Worth in 2010 for discharging a firearm in city limits, police records show. Charges were never filed.

The Navy Yard was placed on lockdown after shots were fired inside a building on the base, the U.S. Navy said. A Metro police officer and naval base officer were among those injured in the shooting, according to the D.C. Metro Police.

"As far as we know, it's an isolated incident," Gray said. "We have no known motive at this stage."

The mayor said there was "no reason at this stage" to believe it was terrorism, but would not rule it out.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said authorities were seeking a potential second suspect, described as a black male, approximately 40 to 50 years old, 5 foot 10, 180 pounds, medium complexion with gray sideburns, wearing an olive military-style uniform and carrying "a long gun."

Before a scheduled economic speech at the White House, President Barack Obama deplored "yet another mass shooting" — this one targeting military and civilian personnel.

“These are men and women who were going to work, doing their job, protecting all of us," Obama said. "They’re patriots, and they know the dangers of serving abroad. But today they faced the unimaginable: violence that they wouldn’t have expected here at home."

"We will do everything in our power to make sure that whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible," the president added. "I want the investigation to be seamless."

Janis Orlowski, chief medical officer at Washington Hospital Center, said one Metropolitan Police officer and two civilians are being treated there. All three arrived in critical condition, Orlowski said, but are expected to make a full recovery.

One was shot in the legs, another in the shoulder. Those victims were in surgery, Orlowski said. A woman who was shot in the head and hand would not need surgery because the bullet did not penetrate her skull.

The Navy said shots were fired at the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters building on the base at 8:20 a.m., and a "shelter in place" order was issued for Navy Yard personnel.

Rick Mason, a program management specialist, told Yahoo News he was on the fourth floor when he saw someone with a shotgun aiming down into the atrium. The gunman, Mason said, was targeting people who walked into the cafeteria.

Other employees described a chaotic scene.

"We heard two shots and started wondering if that was the sound of someone dropping something or if they were really shots," Omar Grant, a civilian employee at the Navy Yard who was on the first floor of the atrium, said. "We heard three more shots, and that's when people started running out of the building and getting the hell out of there."

Grant then led a blind colleague to safety.

Approximately 3,000 people work in the building, the Navy said, though it's unclear how many people were inside at the time of the shooting.

The U.S. Senate complex was locked down "in light of the uncertainty surrounding the shooting at the Navy Yard this morning and particularly the possibility of suspects remaining at large," the Senate said in an alert to staffers. "You may move about the building; however, for the next two hours you may not leave nor can anyone enter the building."

A White House official said the president had been briefed several times throughout the morning about the unfolding situation at the Navy Yard by assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism Lisa Monaco and deputy chief of staff Alyssa Mastromanaco.

A heavy SWAT and police presence could be seen around the Navy Yard. Outside the base, employees sat huddled, crying and holding each other. At least one of the victims was airlifted from the scene, as helicopters circled overhead.

A temporary ground stop was ordered at Reagan National Airport, and schools in the area were placed on temporary lockdown.

The 41-acre Navy Yard, located five blocks from Nationals Stadium and a mile and a half from the Capitol, is home to the chief of naval operations and headquarters for the Naval Historical Center and numerous naval commands.

The Washington Nationals postponed Monday's home game against the Atlanta Braves in the wake of the tragedy.

According to the Navy's website, Naval Sea Systems "engineers, builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and their combat systems." Approximately 60,000 people work there.

— With Olivier Knox reporting from the White House.

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

Shooting rampage at Navy Yard in D.C. leaves 13 dead

Donna Leinwand Leger, William M. Welch and John Bacon, USA TODAY 10:10 p.m. EDT September 16, 2013

Story Highlights

Authorities say gunman is dead
Shooter identified by authorities as civilian contractor from Fort Worth
Washington gripped by tense drama, manhunt; Senate locks down

WASHINGTON — A shooting rampage at a U.S. Navy command complex in Washington left at least 13 people dead Monday, including a Navy veteran identified as the gunman, authorities said.

Aaron Alexis, 34, a civilian contractor from Fort Worth, was identified by officials as the shooter who was killed in a gunbattle with police responding to the morning attack at the Washington Navy Yard. A military official said Alexis had been a Navy reservist on active duty before being discharged for misconduct.
AP Shooting Military Building_003

This undated cell phone photo provided by Kristi Kinard Suthamtewakul shows a smiling Aaron Alexis in Fort Worth, Texas.(Photo: Handout via AP)

The FBI said late Monday that Alexis had a valid pass and security clearance to enter the Navy Yard as a civilian contractor.

The carnage and desperate efforts to stop the shooting gripped the nation's capital in a tense, day-long drama just blocks from the Capitol. Hours after reporting that Alexis was dead, city officials said they had not entirely ruled out the possibility another shooter was involved, but law enforcement officials said Monday night they were confident there was only one gunman.

At least three people, including a city police officer, suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds inside building 197 at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters. Hospital officials said all three were expected to recover, and that another five people suffered minor non-gun injuries.

Hundreds of workers in the Navy complex were forced to hide in their offices or flee for safety while gunshots echoed from a gunman firing a high-powered semi-automatic weapon into the cafeteria and other parts of the building.

A mile or so away at the Capitol, the Senate temporarily locked down all its offices and buildings. The House of Representatives was not in session and did not suspend office functions.

President Obama said he is mourning "yet another mass shooting" and vowed to ensure that "whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible."

A federal law enforcement official said Monday that Alexis, who had been staying at a nearby Residence Inn since late August or early September, legally purchased at least some of the weapons used in the assault within the past few days in Virginia.

Alexis allegedly drove to the Navy Yard complex with the weapons early Monday and cleared security checkpoints before parking in a lot on the property, said the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly. After leaving his car, it is believed that Alexis was involved in two altercations in which he opened fire, killing one or possibly two people.

The official said Alexis then entered the building and went to the third and fourth floors, where much of the assault was carried out. He said Alexis did not appear to have an escape plan and it wasn't clear whether he was targeting specific people.

Mayor Vincent Gray said the shootings did not appear to be terrorism-related but said the possibility had not been ruled out.

He said all the victims were civilians and were 46 to 73 years of age.

Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier late Monday night lifted a shelter-in-place order for the area around the shooting site and said she was confident "we have the single and sole person responsible for the loss of life inside the base today.''

The Washington Nationals baseball team, which plays home games at a stadium close to the shooting scene, canceled the evening game. At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, departures were halted briefly.

Helicopters filled the skies around the Navy complex on the Anacostia River in the Southeast quadrant of the city, an area that has seen a development revival in recent years. Some of the copters airlifted the injured away in baskets suspended beneath the aircraft.

Alexis was an online student at the Fort Worth campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University pursuing a bachelor's of science in aeronautics, the school said.

With the city on edge, the Secret Service arrested a man for tossing firecrackers over the White House fence late Monday. The Secret Service locked down the White House when the incident happened, fearing the pops could have been gunshots.

Gary Humes, a programs manager with the Navy, was entering the building where the shootings took place around 8:20 a.m. when he was met by people fleeing and warning of a shooter inside. He and more than 100 others ran to a building across the street, while others ran to the Navy museum nearby.

"I decided to go in to work a little late this morning,'' he said. "I guess God was with me.""

Lanier said one shooter was killed in an exchange of gunfire with authorities and one police officer was wounded. Federal officials identified the dead shooter as Alexis. Gray said the officer was hospitalized and doing well Monday evening.

Internal security at the Navy Yard building had already "identified and engaged the shooter" by the time the first D.C. police arrived, Lanier said.

She said police exchanged gunfire with the shooter "multiple times" before the final gun battle.

"It's one of the worst things we've seen in Washington, D.C.,'' Lanier said.

A federal law enforcement official told USA TODAY that Alexis was armed with an AR-15, which is a light-weight semi-automatic rifle, as well as a shotgun and a handgun. The federal official, who requested anonymity because of the fluid nature of the investigation, said there is no firm evidence that anyone else fired weapons in the attack.

The official said surveillance video of the shooting was being reviewed and scores of investigators were interviewing hundreds of witnesses.

Alexis may have gained entry into the Navy Yard by using someone else's identification card, said a federal law enforcement official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly.

Terrie Durham, an executive assistant at Naval Sea Systems Command, said a fire alarm sounded and she was trying to leave with a group of people when they encountered a shooter.

"We couldn't see his face, but we could see him with the rifle," Durham said. "He raised and aimed at us and fired. And he hit high on the wall."

Rick Mason, a program management analyst, said a gunman began shooting from a fourth-floor overlook in the hallway outside his office. He said the gunman was aiming down at people in the building's cafeteria on the first floor.

Patricia Ward, a logistics management specialist, said she was in the cafeteria. "I heard three shots — pow, pow, pow. Thirty seconds later I heard four more shots."

Then panic, as people tried to get out of the cafeteria. "A lot of people were just panicking. There were no screams or anything because we were in shock."

Dave Sarr, an environmental engineer, was walking down a nearby street when he saw people running from the Navy Yard. Sarr has seen an evacuation drill a few days earlier at the Navy Yard. "At first I thought it was another drill," Sarr said. "Then I saw an officer with his weapon drawn."

At MedStar Washington Hospital Center, chief medical officer Janis Orlowski said the hospital was treating three victims — a male D.C. police officer and two women.

She said the police officer had multiple gunshot wounds to his legs and was in surgery. One woman was shot in the shoulder, and the other in the head and hand. All are expected to survive, she said.

The Navy Yard shootings are the latest in a long line of multiple slayings involving powerful semi-automatic weapons to shock the nation, including the deaths of 20 children and six educators at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., last December.

Newtown resident Chris Aug called the rampage "another horrible example of our world gone wrong.''

"Instead of healing, the town's wound has been reopened,'' Aug said. "Hopes of optimism are replaced with grief."

Naval Sea Systems Command is the largest of the Navy's five system commands and accounts for a quarter of the Navy's entire budget. It builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and their combat systems.

NAVSEA headquarters' security requires guests to pass through turnstiles that are watched by security guards before entering. Visitors must also turn in their phones and other electronic recording devices upon entry.

Contributing: Marisol Bello; Anne Willette, Kevin Johnson, Jim Michaels, Will Cummings, David Jackson, USA TODAY; Navy Times; WUSA TV; Associated Press

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

The electrician from Texas who was awarded ANTI-TERROR medal and liked Buddhist meditation who turned into Navy Yard mass killer

Aaron Alexis, 34, was kicked out of the Navy in 2011 after arrest for firing a gun into neighbor's apartment
He was described by customers at Happy Bowl Thai in Fort Worth where he worked as 'friendly and polite'
His friends said that he loved to meditate and had an interest in Buddhism

By LOUISE BOYLE PUBLISHED: 20:11 GMT, 16 September 2013 | UPDATED: 01:38 GMT, 17 September 2013

A gunman who shot dead 12 people at the Navy Yard in Washington DC today was described by friends as a fan of meditation and Buddhism 'who didn't seem aggressive'. Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old civilian contractor from Fort Worth, Texas, was confirmed dead on Monday after the mass shooting which also left at least 15 people injured in the nation's capital. Friends of the gunman today described Alexis, who worked as a waiter at a Thai restaurant, as 'friendly and polite'.

Gunman: According to NBC Washington, this man Aaron Alexis, 34, from Fort Worth, Texas is the Navy Yard shooter. A background check has revealed that this is the police mugshot for Alexis who was arrested but not charged for firing a gun in his apartment in 2010

Alexis had joined the Navy in 2007 but was kicked out in 2011, the year after the gun arrest. He was a Petty Officer Third Class in the Navy. Alexis was awarded the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal prior to his discharge.

Shooter: The FBI released this picture of the 34-year-old gunman today

Alexis was stationed at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth. His LinkedIn profile reveals that he attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and worked as a network technician at SinglePoint Technologies. He received a general discharge from the Navy Reserve in 2011 after a series of misconduct issues, a Navy official said, on condition of anonymity. Two construction workers told police that Aaron Alexis walked out of a home next door on May 6, 2004, pulled a pistol from his waistband and fired three shots into the rear tires of their parked car. Alexis later told police he thought the victims had "disrespected him."

Court records show he was released on the condition he not have contact with any of the construction workers.The same documents from his 2004 arrest in Seattle show that Alexis said he had 'been present' during the September 11th attacks. 'Those events disturbed him,' the police documents said and his father told police that his son had experienced rage issues and blamed his experience of 9/11 for causing his post traumatic stress disorder.The family of the Washington shooter are 'distraught' to learn that he carried the massacre, relatives said today. A family member said that the mother and sister of Aaron Alexis were also 'shocked' that he he could have done this.

Standing guard: A swell of police officers were seen standing outside of the New York City home where shooter Aaron Alexis's mother lives

Looking for information everywhere: The investigation into Monday's shooting in Washington, D.C. has expanded into New York (pictured) and Texas as police work to find clues about what prompted Alexis to shoot

Looking for clues: Aaron's mother Cathleen Alexis said she was 'shocked' that her son was involved in the shooting that left 12 victims dead and 15 others injured (Police seen standing in front of her New York City home)

Alexis' family lives in a run-down area of Brooklyn called Bed-Stuy, which was known in the 1980s for being at the center of New York's crack epidemic. His mother Cathleen, 60, lives in a fourth floor walk up apartment worth $130,000 with other relatives. When MailOnline knocked on the door an attractive woman in her early 30s answered the door wearing a red top. She let in a female friend who had come to the door but refused to comment. The street was then sealed off by police and FBI agents who stood guard outside and refused to let anybody onto the side of the street where the house is.

Debris sits in front of the last known address of Aaron Alexis Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, in Fort Worth, Texas. Police have identified Alexis as the gunman in Monday's shooting rampage at at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington

Nutpisit Suthamtewakul, owner of Happy Bowl Thai in Fort Worth said he lived with Alexis for three years and his best friend 'didn't seem aggressive' but liked to meditate

Later Anthony Little, who is married to Alexis' sister Naomi, 31, arrived and said: 'The family are distraught. 'They're shocked'. A neighbor at Naomi's old address, a $150,000 apartment a short walk away, said that she 'wasn't a nice person'. The neighbor, who would only give her name as Jocelyn, said that Naomi moved out last summer. The mail box still carries the name 'Little', Naomi's husband.
The neighbor said: 'We used to put our dirty diapers outside in the trash and she didn't like it.

'Naomi wrote a note to say she would report us to the landlord. She got nasty about it. She wasn't nice'. Today at around 5pm two FBI agents arrived and questioned neighbors and workmen who were inside the apartment doing renovations but left after 15 minutes and refused to answer questions. Alexis was charged with property damage and the discharge of a firearm and The Seattle Times reported that the charges were later dismissed.

The FBI has identified the suspected gunman who died in Monday's Washington Navy Yard shooting as Aaron Alexis

Seattle police said in a statement Monday that detectives later spoke with Alexis' father, who told police Alexis had anger management problems associated with PTSD, and had participated in rescue attempts on Sept. 11th, 2001. NBC5 today said that the suspect was arrested in 2010 for firing a gun through the ceiling of his Forth Worth apartment. His neighbor called the police after the bullet came through her floor and hit the ceiling. According to The Smoking Gun, the woman, who would not identify herself, said that she was 'terrifiied' after he had spoken to her about making too much noise.She believed that the shooting was intentional.

Police arrested him but Alexis claimed he had been cleaning the gun when his hand slipped. He said that he did not check on his neighbor as he did not think that the bullet had gone through the ceiling. He was not charged. A background check on Aaron Alexis, reveals he had several addresses in Forth Worth after moving there from New York. A friend told the Star-Telegram today that Alexis was into Buddhism and meditation. Nutpisit Suthamtewakul, owner of family restaurantc, said he lived with Alexis for three years and that he was his best friend.

A woman smiles as she is reunited with her husband, who was one of hundreds of Navy Yard workers evacuated to a makeshift Red Cross shelter after a shooting, at the Nationals Park baseball stadium in Washington

He said today that although his friend did have a gun, he 'didn't seem aggressive' but was interested in Buddhism and liked to meditate.Suthamtewakul added: 'He loved to go to temple, go to meditate in Thai and English.'He attended the Wat Busayadhammavanaram Meditation Center, but an assistant told the Post he seemed quiet but 'aggressive' on the inside and very tightly wound. The monk's assistant added that he could have believed Alexis' would have committed suicide but not murder. The 34-year-old had recently taken a trip to Thailand and held an IT job in Japan. Alexis had been teaching himself Thai.

Alexis told customers while working at Happy Bowl that he had moved to Fort Worth while working with the military and decided to stay on.He lived until recently in Fort Worth, where he was seen frequently at a Buddhist temple, meditating and helping out.One said that he had seem liked he had been in the military by the way her carried himself but never talked about violence or guns.

Alexis was evicted from the The Orion at Oak Hill apartments building in Fort Worth shortly after the shooting incident in 2010.

Honored For His Part in The War On Terror

Petty Officer Third Class Aaron Alexis was awarded the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal prior to his discharge in January 2011. He was stationed at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas.

The military award was created on March 12th, 2003 by President George W. Bush and recognizes those who served in the armed forces and who performed a role in the War on Terror - which began as a direct result of the September 11 attacks.

To become eligible for the medal, 30 days of consecutive duty or 60 days of non-consecutive duty must be completed.

His latest landlord Somsak Srisan said that he had never seen his 34-year-old tenant get angry about anything. According to a police report from 2004, Alexis was arrested for discharge of a firearm in Seattle, shooting out the tires of an unknown victim's car. He later confessed to the arresting officer that he didn't remember pulling the trigger of his firearm until about one hour later due to a 'black-out fueled by anger'.

Alexis said that he was present during the tragic events of 9/11 and that those events had disturbed him. He was not charged following the incident. The gunman opened fire at 8.20am on Monday inside a building at the Washington Navy Yard killing 12 people and injuring at least 15. He was later confirmed dead by authorities. Witnesses reported one man, described as an African-American male dressed in military fatigues and armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, opening fire upon entering the base at the Naval Sea System Command HQ today.

Hundreds of SWAT and FBI rapid response units descended on the nation's capital to deal with the situation which unfolded this morning.Initial reports from the scene are that a suspect walked up to the facility, opened fire and then ran inside the building. 'There was three gunshots straight in a row,' said Patricia Ward, who works at the Navy Yard, describing how she first heard the gunfire while having breakfast at the headquarters building.

Hidden agenda: Friends spoke in disbelief today that the quiet man they knew would carry out such an atrocity

Police who responded to shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC on Monday

Lock down: The area in the capital was soon swarming with armed response units on Monday

A few seconds later, Ward said she heard four more gunshots. Security guards rushed in and got people out as fast as they could - ''Run, run, run, 'they told people,' Ward told reporters. NBC News, citing a senior naval officer at the Navy Yard, said at least 11 victims were killed. The gunman was also killed.

'We saw him hold the rifle, and we saw him aim it in our direction,' said one witness to Fox News. Police said today that they were still searching for two potential shooters - one white and one African-American. However the FBI later revised this statement to say that they were no longer looking for a white male suspect.

Tragedy: The shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington D.C. on Monday left 11 dead and many injured, according to authorities

People hold their hands to their heads as they are escorted out of the building where a deadly shooting rampage occurred on Monday

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

Navy Yard shooter had at least two gun-related incidents in past

Posted Monday, Sep. 16, 2013

FORT WORTH — Friends say Aaron Alexis regularly meditated at a local Buddhist temple, was unfailingly courteous and never showed signs of the violence that is now his legacy.

But police reports paint a darker picture of the Fort Worth man, including an anger-fueled “blackout” and shooting in Seattle in 2004 and, more recently, a firearms incident at a Fort Worth apartment, after which a neighbor told police that she was “terrified” of him.

One friend said that Alexis, a former electrician’s mate in the Navy, was upset with the government because of a dispute over benefits.

Alexis, 34, is accused of opening fire on workers at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday. Twelve people were killed and several others wounded before Alexis was fatally shot.

Authorities said they have not established a motive for the shooting.

“I don’t think he’d do this,” said Nutpisit Suthamtewakul, who described himself as Alexis’ “best friend” and roommate for three years.

“He has a gun, but I don’t think he’s that stupid,” said Suthamtewakul, owner of Happy Bowl Thai in White Settlement, where Alexis also worked as a waiter at times. “He didn’t seem aggressive to me.”

Alexis was arrested by Seattle police in 2004 after shooting out two tires of a car parked next door to his home. He told authorities that construction workers had “disrespected him.”

He also told police that he had blacked out and didn’t remember the shooting until hours later, according to a police report posted by the Seattle Times.

The Fort Worth incident happened in September 2010. Alexis was arrested after shooting a hole through the floor of a woman’s apartment.

The woman, who was not identified, told police that Alexis had confronted her in a parking lot a few days earlier about making too much noise and that she felt the shooting was intentional.

He said the gun had discharged while he was cleaning it, and he was never formally charged in the case.

Alexis was in the Navy from 2007 to 2011 and was most recently stationed at Naval Air Station Fort Worth, according to Lt. Cmdr. Sarah Blansett, a Navy spokeswoman in McLean, Va.

He was a petty officer 3rd class in the Navy Reserve’s Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 46, according to the Navy.

It was not immediately clear when or under what circumstances he was discharged from the Navy.

Friends said he left because he didn’t like to get up early and had complained about being underpaid.

“But I don’t think that’s a reason to kill people,” Suthamtewakul said.

‘Always very polite’

Alexis had recently visited Thailand and had been to Japan with a computer defense contractor, where he worked in information technology, said Sandy Guerra-Cline, a regular customer at Happy Bowl.

“He is not a guy that talked about guns or talked about anything violent,” said Guerra-Cline, who works in the Star-Telegram newsroom. “As a matter of fact, my best memories of him were of him sitting at one of the tables at Happy Bowl trying to teach himself Thai.”

Alexis most recently rented a small house near White Settlement Road and Cherry Lane in Fort Worth, but he had not lived there for six to eight months, said his landlord, Somsak Srisan.

“Oh boy, I can’t believe this,” Srisan said. “He was always very polite to me.”

Srisan said he believed Alexis lived alone at the modest house in west Fort Worth.

“When he lived at my house, I never saw him get angry about anything,” Srisan said. “My feeling is, if he was angry about anything, he didn’t show that to me.”

He saw Alexis meditate and said he always remained calm around him.

“I can’t believe he would do anything like this,” Srisan said. “He always behaved well around me.”

Alexis also stayed with Nutpisit Suthamtewakul and his wife, Kristi.

She said Alexis, as a civilian contractor, was upset with the government over some sort of dispute concerning benefits.

She said she didn’t know much more about it because “Aaron is a very private person.”

She said that when he lived with her and her husband, he would become upset when he could not pay his share of the utilities.

She also said Alexis held a concealed handgun license, and when he helped out at the restaurant, she knew he was carrying a pistol.

“You wouldn’t know it,” she said. “His shirt was down over it.”

Kristi Suthamtewakul said that Alexis moved out about five months ago and that she hadn’t seen him since.

She showed a photo of Alexis taken at Christmas in which he’s smiling and wearing a watch cap.

Mike Ritrovato, another friend, said Alexis was an “easygoing guy” who liked to play “shoot-em-up” video games. He said that Alexis bragged about his shooting skills but that he had never seen him with a gun.

Ritraovato, who was at Happy Bowl on Monday, said he has not seen Alexis for about five to six months.

Arrested in Seattle

In 2004, Alexis was living in Seattle with his grandmother.

On May 6, two construction workers watched as Alexis walked out of the home, pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired three times into the rear tires of a parked Honda Accord.

The car was owned by a construction worker, according to a police report.

Alexis told police that workers had “mocked” and “disrespected him,” according to a Seattle police report.

Alexis told police that he had an anger-fueled “blackout.”

His father told police that his son was in New York on 9-11 and had participated in rescue attempts, according to the police report.

The father said family members believed that Alexis had anger-management issues related to PTSD.

On Monday, Alexis’ family said in a statement: “Our hearts go out to you. We apologize for the inconvenience of losing a loved one. We also lost a loved one.”

‘Terrified’ of Alexis

Some six years later, in Fort Worth, police were called to The Orion Oak Hills apartments on a report that someone had fired a shot through the floor of a woman’s apartment.

She told police that Alexis, who lived beneath her, had called police on her several times in the past for “being loud.”

The woman told police that she was “terrified” of Alexis.

“He said that he was trying to clean his gun while cooking and that his hands were slippery. He told me that he began to take the gun apart when his hands slipped and pulled the trigger, discharging a round into the ceiling,” the police report states.

Police arrested Alexis on suspicion of discharging a firearm in a municipality, a Class A misdemeanor.

“After reviewing the facts presented by the police department, it was determined that the elements constituting recklessness under Texas law were not present and a case was not filed,” said Melody McDonald, a spokeswoman with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office.

The Orion at Oak Hill apartments in Fort Worth began eviction efforts against Alexis later in September 2010. Records show that he moved from the Oak Hill apartments in December 2010.

Staff writers Bill Hanna and Bud Kennedy contributed to this report.

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

Aaron Alexis, Suspect In Washington Navy Yard Shooting, Was Once Arrested For Shooting Bullet Into Neighbor's Home

The suspect in today’s deadly shooting at the Washington Navy Yard was once arrested for discharging a firearm into the ceiling of his Texas residence, according to police records.

Aaron Alexis, 34, was arrested in September 2010 after his upstairs neighbor called Fort Worth cops to report that a bullet had been shot into her apartment. The round apparently first traveled through her home’s floor and then the ceiling.

[Alexis was also arrested in mid-2004 for shooting out the tires of a car owned by a construction worker who purportedly “mocked him.” Alexis told cops that an anger-fueled “black out” prompted the shooting. Alexis’s father told investigators that his son suffered from “anger management problems” that were related to post-traumatic stress disorder, perhaps connected to his involvement in rescue work following the September 11 terror attacks.

The woman, whose name is not listed in a Fort Worth Police Department report, said that she was “terrified” of Alexis, who had previously confronted her about making too much noise. The neighbor, who was “visibly shaken up” when questioned by police, said that she believed the shooting was “intentional.”

When police interrogated Alexis, who is seen in the above mug shot, he claimed that he was cleaning the weapon when it discharged. Alexis told cops that he was cooking at the time and his hands were slippery as he “began to take the gun apart when his hands slipped and pulled the trigger discharging a round into the ceiling.”

Asked why he did not notify police or check on the welfare of his upstairs neighbor, Alexis said that he “didn’t think it went all the way through since he couldn’t see any light through the hole.” Additionally, “In regards to the noise he said he thought that people would just think it was a firecracker.”

An officer noted that, while inside Alexis’s apartment, a dismantled gun covered in oil could be seen.

The local district attorney subsequently declined to file charges against Alexis.

In early-July, a male roommate of Alexis’s called Fort Worth cops to report his suspicion that Alexis “put unknown substance in gas tank to damage vehicle,” according to a July 5 report.

Alexis, who was killed today during a gun battle with police, was apparently a civilian computer contractor. Records show that Alexis, who was previously a full-time Navy reservist, has used the e-mail address [email protected].

According to Navy officials, Alexis served as a reservist from May 2007 until his January 2011 discharge. Alexis was assigned to a logistics support unit based in Fort Worth and achieved a final rank of Aviation Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class.

Alexis was arrested for disorderly conduct in August 2008 in DeKalb County, Georgia. He was released from custody after posting $364 bond (and posing for a booking photo). The details and disposition of the misdemeanor case could not be obtained.

UPDATE: Alexis was also arrested in mid-2004 after allegedly firing several shots into the tires of a vehicle parked in front of his Seattle, Washington home, according to a police report. Alexis told cops that he had perceived that the car’s owner--a construction worker from a nearby job site--had “mocked him.”

Police recovered a Glock .45 caliber handgun and ammo that Alexis stored in his bedroom in a residence owned by his grandmother. After waiving his Miranda rights, Alexis told investigators that he believed the victim had “disrespected him” and that perception resulted in a “‘black out’ fueled by anger.” Alexis added that he did not remember pulling the trigger until 30 minutes after the shooting.

Alexis, a New York City native, told police that he “was present during the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 and how those events had disturbed him.”

In a subsequent interview with Alexis’s father, the man told cops that his son had experienced “anger management problems” that family members “believed associated with PTSD.” Alexis’s father “confirmed that his son was an active participant in rescue attempts of September 11th, 2001.”

Alexis, who had a Washington State concealed pistol license, was charged with illegal discharge of a firearm and property damage. The disposition of those counts remains unclear.

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

Washington navy yard gunman Aaron Alexis was Hewlett-Packard worker

Former resrvist Aaron Alexis was IT subcontractor for computer company after being discharged from navy in 2011

Spencer Ackerman in Washington DC, Tom Dart in Houston and Karen McVeigh in New York
The Guardian, Tuesday 17 September 2013 03.06 BST

Images released by the FBI show photos of Aaron Alexis, who police believe was a gunman at the Washington Navy Yard shooting. Photograph: AP

The man responsible for Monday's deadly rampage at the Washington navy yard was a subcontractor and former reservist who was arrested at least twice in the past for gun-related offences.

Aaron Alexis, 34, was discharged from the navy in 2011 after an incident in which an upstairs neighbour complained that he had shot into the floor of her apartment.

But Alexis recently found contract work with the navy. The compputer firm Hewlett-Packard said it had employed him as a subcontractor on an information technology project for the US navy and marine corps intranet system. It was not clear whether he worked at the Washington navy yard as part of the project.

According to the US navy, Alexis, whose home was listed as New York City, enrolled in the reserves in 2007. He was a navy aviation electrician's mate third class from 1 February 2008 until he was discharged on 31 January 2011. He is listed as having received the national defense service medal and the global war on terrorism service medal.

In 2010, while he was based at Fort Worth in Texas, he was arrested after discharging a firearm. In 2004, police in Seattle questioned him after what they described as an "anger-fuelled shooting" involving the car of a construction worker.

Seattle police said on Monday that during their inquiries into the 2004 incident, Alexis's father reported that he suffered from "anger management problems associated with PTSD, and that Alexis had been an active participant in rescue attempts on September 11, 2001".

The statement went on: "Following his arrest, Alexis told detectives he perceived he had been 'mocked' by construction workers the morning of the incident, and said they had 'disrespected him'. Alexis also claimed he had an anger-fueled 'blackout' and could not remember firing his gun at the victims' vehicle until an hour after the incident.

"Alexis also told police he was present during 'the tragic events of September 11, 2001' and described 'how those events had disturbed him'."

According to a Texas police report, he was arrested in September 2010 on suspicion of discharging a firearm in a municipality, but not formally charged.

The police report from the time states that an officer was dispatched to Orion at Oak Hill, a large, gated apartment complex in west Fort Worth, after a woman called the police and said that she believed someone had fired a shot into her apartment.

According to the report, the woman was "visibly shaken up". She said that Alexis was her downstairs neighbour, and that he had "called the police several times on her for being loud". The woman reported that Alexis had confronted her in the parking lot about making too much noise.

The report adds that the woman told the officer that she was "terrified" of Alexis and believed that the shot had been fired intentionally. The report states that the officer knocked on Alexis's door but did not receive a response. He only emerged after the officer called the fire department to get them to forcibly enter the property.

Alexis claimed to have discharged the gun accidentally, the report says. "He said that he was trying to clean his gun while cooking and that his hands were slippery," the witer of the report says. "He told me that he began to take the gun apart when his hands slipped and pulled the trigger discharging a round into the ceiling."

In both instances, Alexis was not charged. Police in Seattle said the case was not pursued because paperwork had been lost. In Texas, it was determinded that Alexis had discharged his gun by accident.

After leaving the reserves, Alexis worked as a waiter and delivery driver at the Happy Bowl Thai restaurant in White Settlement, a suburb of Fort Worth, according to Afton Bradley, a former co-worker, quoted by the Associated Press.

Having traveled to Thailand, Alexis learned some Thai and could speak to Thai customers in their native language. "He was a very nice person," Bradley said in a phone interview. "It kind of blows my mind away. I wouldn't think anything bad at all."

A former acquaintance, Oui Suthametewakul, said Alexis lived with him and his wife from August 2012 to May 2013 in Fort Worth, but that they had to part ways because he wasn't paying his bills. Alexis was a "nice guy," Suthametewakul said, though he sometimes carried a gun and would frequently complain about being the victim of discrimination.

Suthametewakul said Alexis had converted to Buddhism and prayed at a local Buddhist temple. Ty Thairintr, a congregant at Wat Budsaya, a Buddhist temple in Fort Worth, told the AP: "We are all shocked. We are nonviolent. Aaron was a very good practitioner of Buddhism. He could chant better than even some of the Thai congregants."

Thairintr said that Alexis told him and others at the temple that he had taken a job as a contractor and he indicated to them he was going to go to Virginia. He last saw him five weeks ago. "He was a very devoted Buddhist. There was no tell-tale sign of this behaviour," Thairintr said.

Hewlett-Packard confirmed that it had employed Alexis as a subcontractor. It said in a statement: "Aaron Alexis was an employee of a company called 'The Experts,' a subcontractor to an HP Enterprise Services contract to refresh equipment used on the navy marine corps intranet (NMCI) network. HP is cooperating fully with law enforcement as requested."

It said the company was "deeply saddened" by the incident. "Our thoughts and sympathies are with all those who have been affected," the company said.

On Monday night, officers from the New York Police Department cordoned off a section of the tree-lined street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood of Brooklyn, where family of Alexis lives in a brownstone apartment.

A huddle of NYPD officers stood in the road outside the three-storey building, watched by a small crowd of reporters and TV crews. Earlier in the day, Anthony Little, the brother-in-law of the uspect, emerged from the house and told NBC4 the family were "distraught". He said: "It's a shocking experience. Nobody expected this. No-one saw it coming. No-one knew anything. So all of this is just shocking."

Little, who is married to Alexis's sister, said he had never met him.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which offers online courses in aviation and aerospace, confirmed that Alexis was enrolled as an online student via its Fort Worth campus, started classes in July 2012 and had been pursuing a bachelor's of science in aeronautics. "We are cooperating fully with investigating officials," the university said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

Washington Navy Yard shooting: Aaron Alexis 'had history of violence'

The gunman who killed 12 people in the Washington Navy Yard rampage was arrested on two separate occasions for rage-fuelled incidents in which he apparently fired his weapon in anger – but escaped jail on both occasions.

FBI-issued pictures of Arron Alexis, the man they believe was responsible for the Washington Navy Yard shootings Photo: FBI

By Peter Foster, Raf Sanchez, in Washington
11:34PM BST 16 Sep 2013

Hours after the shooting a picture was emerging of Aaron Alexis, 34, as a conflicted young man who was a former Navy Reservist.

US officials said that Alexis he had been discharged from the Naval reserve in 2011 after "multiple" disciplinary breaches, the Los Angeles Times reported, adding that Alexis “had a pattern of misconduct,” the official said.

Alexis was passionate about Thai culture, attended a local temple in Texas and – according to his father – had been involved in rescue attempts during the September 11 attacks.

In 2004 Alexis was arrested in Seattle after shooting out a man's tires in what he described as a rage-fueled "blackout".

And in 2010 Alexis was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas for firing a pistol through his ceiling to silence an allegedly noisy neighbour, it emerged last night.

Following the Seattle arrest, Alexis' father also told police his son "had been an active participant in rescue attempts on September 11, 2001," according to a Seattle police report.

Seattle police said Alexis shot the rear tires of a construction worker's Honda Accord that had parked outside of his home on May 6, 2004, but was not arrested until a month later.

"Following his arrest, Alexis told detectives he perceived he had been 'mocked' by construction workers the morning of the incident and said they had 'disrespected him.' Alexis also claimed he had an anger-fueled 'blackout', and could not remember firing his gun at the victims' vehicle until an hour after the incident," Seattle police said in a statement.

The case was referred to the Seattle Municipal Court but records do not show any conviction.

Alexis was also booked by police in Fort Worth Texas over an incident on September 4 2010, but local authorities again declined to press charges, leaving him without a criminal record.

The Fort Worth police report said that Alexis had fired his gun through the ceiling of his apartment, narrowly missing an unnamed woman upstairs who he was engaged in a feud with over noise.

"She told that she was sitting in her chair when she heard a loud pop and saw the dust. She then saw that their [sic] was a hole in her foot just a couple of feet from where she was sitting," the local officer reported.

The district attorney's did not press charges after the incident even though the woman told police she was "terrified" of Alexis and believed he had fired the gun "intentionally" after calling police several times to complain his neighbour was "being loud".

"She said that several days ago Aaron confronted her in the parking lot about making too much noise," the report states.

The authorities said they had accepted Alexis's explanation that the weapon had discharged accidentally as was "trying to clean his gun while cooking and that his hands were slippery".

"After reviewing the facts presented by the police department, it was determined that the elements constituting recklessness under Texas law were not present and a case was not filed," a statement from the District Attorney's office said.

Alexis explained that he had not gone to see to the woman because he didn't think the bullet had passed all the way through the ceiling, and believed that neighbours would have dismissed the sound of the gun being fired as "a fire cracker".

Police in New York said that Alexis has been involved in a violent incident in High School in July 1997 when another student had broken a glass bottle over his head.

Alexis has also obtained a rifle permit from the New York Police Department, and had used in ranges around the city, the DNAInfo website reported.

However this picture of Alexis as a man with serious anger-management problems was contrasted by local friends in Fort Worth who told The Daily Telegraph that he was a fascinated by Thai culture and would spend hours practicing the language. He had recently visited Thailand according to local newspaper reports in Texas.

"He was very interested in all Thai things. He was really nice and wanted to speak to speak Thai and actually learned pretty fast," Tiki Confer, the owner of the Bangkok House restaurant in Fort Worth, told The Daily Telegraph.

Alexis also spent a long time visiting with monks at a nearby Buddhist temple but Ms Confer said she had not seen him since 2008. "He seemed to be a very happy guy, always smiling," she added.

Alexis was also arrested for disorderly conduct in August 2008 in DeKalb County, Georgia. He was released from custody after posting $364 bond, the Smoking Gun website reported.

Military records show Alexis served full time in the US Navy's Reserve from May 2007 to January 2011, a Navy official told Reuters.

Alexis achieved his top rank of Petty Officer 3rd Class in December 2009, and officials said they did not immediately know the reasons for his discharge.

He was assigned to the Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 46 at Naval Air Station Fort Worth in Texas for the bulk of his time in the military, from 2008 until he left the service in 2011, records show.

He was awarded the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal two common awards for military personnel.

Other friends in Fort Worth also confirmed that Alexis was deeply interested in Thai culture and had left the Navy because he hated getting up early.

The owner of local Thai restaurant, the Happy Bowl in White Settlement, Texas said that Alexis, who had also worked as a waiter and deliver driver for the restaurant part-time, had been his "best friend" and didn't fit the profile of an angry lone gunman.

"He lived with me for three years," Nutpisit Suthamtewakul told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram . "I don't think he'd do this. He has a gun, but I don't think he's that stupid. He didn't seem aggressive to me."

Additional reporting by David Lawler

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

Washington Navy Yard shooting: the facility

Here are some details on the Washington Navy Yard, site of a mass shooting that left 13 people dead, including the gunman:

Armed ATF agents at the scene of the Washington Navy Yard shooting Photo: WIN MACNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES

AP
4:00AM BST 17 Sep 2013

THE LOCATION

The Washington Navy Yard sits on a 41-acre site on the Anacostia River in Southeast Washington, four blocks from the Nationals Park baseball stadium and about 1.5 milesfrom the US Capitol. It's surrounded by a fast-growing residential neighbourhood.

THE PERSONNEL

More than 18,000 people work at the Washington Navy Yard, including 3,600 military and 14,500 civilian personnel.

THE HISTORY

The Navy Yard is the Navy's oldest shore establishment and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

THE BUILDING

The shooting took place at Building 197, the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command. About 3,000 people work there.

THE COMMAND

The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is the largest of the Navy's five systems commands, with a force of 60,000 military, civilian and contract personnel and a budget of nearly $30 billion, about one-fourth of the Navy's entire budget.

WHAT IT DOES

NAVSEA engineers, buys, builds and maintains ships, submarines and combat systems.

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

WithoutYou · Sep 17, 2013

Authorities question vetting of Washington gunman who killed 12

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By Mark Hosenball and Ian Simpson
WASHINGTON | Tue Sep 17, 2013 10:29am EDT

(Reuters) - Washington authorities questioned on Tuesday how a U.S. military veteran with a history of violence and mental problems could have gotten clearance to enter a Navy base where he killed 12 people before police shot him dead.

The suspect, Aaron Alexis, 34, a Navy contractor from Fort Worth, Texas, entered Washington Navy Yard on Monday morning and opened fire, spreading panic at the base just a mile and a half from the U.S. Capitol and three miles from the White House.

Investigators are still trying to determine the shooter's motive. Alexis had been given clearance to enter the base on the Anacostia River, despite two gun-related brushes with the law and a discharge from the Navy Reserve in 2011 after a series of misconduct issues.

A federal law enforcement source told Reuters Alexis had a history of mental problems but gave no details. CNN reported that Alexis had contacted two Veterans Administration hospitals recently and was believed to be seeking psychological help.

"It really is hard to believe that someone with a record as checkered as this man could conceivably get, you know, clearance to get ... credentials to be able to get on the base," Washington Mayor Vincent Gray told CNN.

He said automatic U.S. budget cuts known as sequestration could have led to skimping on vetting that would have barred Alexis from the heavily guarded base.

"Obviously, 12 people have paid the ultimate price for whatever was done to have this man on base," Gray said.

The incident prompted immediate calls for reviews of base security procedures. Congressman Michael Turner called for Defense Department officials to release information on an inspector general's audit of its system for controlling civilian workers' access to military bases.

The Navy may have "implemented an unproven system in order to cut costs," Turner, an Ohio Republican, said in a letter dated Monday to Lynne Halbrooks, the Pentagon's acting inspector general.

"Potentially numerous felons may have been able to gain unrestricted access to several military installations across the country," said Turner, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

WEAPONS BAN

Military personnel are generally banned from carrying weapons on military installations in the United States but most people with proper credentials are not routinely checked for firearms.

Eight people were hurt, including three who were shot. Police have identified seven of those killed, with identification of the others pending notification of relatives.

The three gunshot victims, including a Washington police officer severely wounded in the legs, were doing well, Janis Orlowski, the chief medical officer at Washington Hospital Center, told NBC's "Today" program.

Police shot Alexis in a gun battle after he entered the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters about 8:20 a.m. (1220 GMT) and started picking off victims in a cafeteria from a fourth-floor atrium, witnesses said.

Alexis was armed with an AR-15 military-style assault rifle, a double-barreled shotgun and a handgun, a federal law enforcement source said.

The shooting was the worst attack at a U.S. military installation since Army Major Nidal Hasan opened fire on unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, killing 13 people and wounding 31.

Alexis, a contract employee, had legitimate access to the Navy Yard and used a valid pass, the FBI said. Authorities have not addressed how he could have gotten weapons onto the base.

Alexis, a one-time Texas resident who was known to worship at a Buddhist temple, served full time in the U.S. Navy Reserve from May 2007 to January 2011, becoming an aviation electrician.

He was recently hired as a civilian information technology contractor to work on the Navy and Marine Corps intranet. He was given a security clearance classified as "secret," his company's chief executive told Reuters.

Alexis was arrested on September 4, 2010, in Fort Worth, Texas, on a misdemeanor charge of discharging a firearm. The case was dropped when investigators determined he was cleaning his gun and it accidentally fired, Tarrant County prosecutors said.

He was also arrested in Seattle in 2004 for shooting out a construction worker's car tires in an anger-fueled "blackout" triggered by perceived "disrespect," according to the Seattle Police Department.

The base was closed to all but essential personnel on Tuesday as police continued their investigation. Military police were stationed at the four entrances, checking the identifications of the employees who were being allowed back in. Other personnel milled around outside, hoping to retrieve cars that remained locked inside the gates.

"I still don't know when I can get my car," said a woman who identified herself only as Linda. She declined to give her last name because she was not supposed to return to work on Tuesday.

She said she had had no Internet access on Monday due to security in her building and only found out about the shooting from her family. "My phone just blew up," Linda said.

(Additional reporting by Alina Selyukh; Editing by Scott Malone and David Brunnstrom)

WithoutYou · Sep 18, 2013

Big questions loom after latest US shooting rampage

AFP Updated September 18, 2013, 2:18 am

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Troubling questions loomed for investigators Tuesday as America digested another mass shooting, this time at a tightly guarded Naval Yard not far from Washington's corridors of power.

How and why could a Navy veteran with a history of disciplinary and anger management issues and firearms incidents stage a shooting rampage at a command facility down the road from Congress and the White House?

The death toll was 13 -- 12 people shot inside one of many buildings at the sprawling Washington Navy Yard and the gunman, shot by police. He was identified as Aaron Alexis of Fort Worth, Texas, aged 34.

He served in the Navy from 2007 to 2011 before becoming a defense subcontractor for computer giant Hewlett-Packard.

His record in the Navy was marked by multiple cases of misconduct. They ranged from minor offenses such as being late for work to more serious incidents involving disorderly conduct and insubordination, Navy officials said Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

Alexis received non-judicial punishment by the Navy in some cases and he was arrested by civilian police twice -- once in Georgia for disorderly conduct and once in Texas when he fired a bullet through the ceiling of his apartment, they said.

The Navy sought to discharge Alexis for his behavior but had insufficient evidence of misconduct so had him accept an honorable discharge, a Navy official said.

It is not clear if Alexis was working at the yard at the time of the shooting, although officials have said he got in legally rather than forced his way in.

According to a US defense official, a recent report to the Pentagon's inspector general said that to save money the Navy may have eased restrictions when granting access to outside contractors at the Navy Yard.

But a Pentagon official said security clearances designed to weed out someone posing an espionage risk, and misdemeanors or minor run-ins with the law years earlier would not necessarily disqualify an applicant.

"It's about someone's propensity to be a spy. It has nothing to do with whether a guy had a misdemeanor 10 years earlier. It's about whether he can protect classified information," he told reporters.

But the official cautioned against assuming that security clearance procedures were somehow flawed or to blame for the shooting.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation appealed to the public for anything on Alexis, saying "no piece of information is too small."

Washington mayor Vincent Gray said he was stunned the shooter got the job he had.

"It's hard to believe that someone with a record as checkered as this man could get clearance, credentials, to get on the base," he told CNN.

US authorities said Alexis appears to have acted alone.

A lone bugler played outside the navy building Tuesday as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel left a wreath in memory of the victims.

The FBI released a picture of Alexis, who held the rank of an Aviation Electrician's Mate Third Class, and had served full-time in a logistics support squadron in Fort Worth.

He was employed as an IT subcontractor for a company called "The Experts," which was working on a Hewlett-Packard contract to upgrade equipment for an intranet network used by the US Marine Corps and Navy, HP said.

It was unclear whether the military or HP had been aware of Alexis' brushes with the law, including two shooting incidents, before he was hired for the IT job.

The shooting sparked a massive show of force as police and federal agents descended on the Navy Yard, which is located on the Anacostia River, less than two miles (three kilometers) from the Capitol and a bit further from the White House.

President Barack Obama ordered that flags be flown at half mast in the US capital until Friday out of respect for the dead.

Someday · Sep 18, 2013

Revealed: Washington gunman who murdered 12 had 'anger issues' after rescuing victims of 9/11 and had been kicked out of the Navy after gun charge

Aaron Alexis, 34, named as the heavily armed gunman who opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington D.C. – killing 12 people and injuring eight others on Monday morning
Used an AR-15 rifle the same weapon used in the Sandy Hook and Aurora mass shootings
SWAT Teams fought a heavy gun battle with him and shot him dead
Alexis served in the U.S. Navy for almost four years before he was discharged in 2011 for 'misconduct'
It has been reported he was discharged from the U.S. Navy because of an arrest for firing his own gun in 2010; a similar incident occurred in 2004
The FBI has determined that Alexis was the only shooter, and police say a valid security pass was used to get into the Navy Yard buildings

By JAMES NYE, LOUISE BOYLE, DAVID MARTOSKO IN WASHINGTON, MEGHAN KENEALLY and PAUL THOMPSON IN WASHINGTON PUBLISHED: 13:11 GMT, 16 September 2013 | UPDATED: 12:12 GMT, 17 September 2013

Gunman: According to NBC Washington, this man Aaron Alexis, 34, from Fort Worth, Texas is the Navy Yard shooter. A background check has revealed that this is the police mugshot for Alexis who was arrested but not charged for firing a gun in his apartment in 2010

The Washington Navy Yard gunman who killed 12 yesterday has previously claimed to be suffering from PTSD after helping rescue efforts in New York following the 9/11 terror attacks. Gunman Aaron Alexis was shot dead by responding officers after he opened fire inside a Navy facility around 8:20 a.m. on Monday morning, killing 12 people aged 46-73. It emerged today that he used three guns during the massacre, one of them an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle - the same weapon used in the Sandy Hook and Aurora mass shootings.He was killed in one of several running gun battles with police after he entered the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters and started picking off victims in a cafeteria from a fourth-floor atrium, witnesses said.

That set off pandemonium, with fire alarms sounding and security officers yelling at people to leave the building. Hundreds fled, some scrambling over walls to escape the gunfire. A loudspeaker announcement ordered those who remained to stay in their offices.The motive for the mass shooting - the deadliest on a military installation in the U.S. since the tragedy at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009 - was a mystery, investigators said. But a profile of the lone gunman, a 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, was coming into focus. He was described as a Buddhist who had also had flares of rage, complained about the Navy and being a victim of discrimination and had several run-ins with law enforcement, including two shootings.

Collecting guns: Alexis reportedly brought only one gun with him to the Navy Yard and procured two others during the shooting spree

Gunman: This photo provided by Kristi Kinard Suthamtewakul shows Aaron Alexis in Fort Worth, Texas. The FBI has identified Alexis, 34, as the gunman in the Monday, Sept. 16, 2013 shooting rampage in Washington

The Morning After: A member of the military arrives for work at the front gate of the Washington Naval Yard September 17, 2013 in Washington, DC

Clues: Investigators enter a Residence Inn hotel where it is believed the gunman involved in the Washington Navy Yard shooting had been staying prior to the attack

Policemen string police tape outside the Brooklyn residence Cathleen Alexis, mother of suspected Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis, in New York September 16, 2013

Eight people were injured including three who were shot, Washington Mayor Vincent Gray said. Those killed were aged 46 to 73, he said. Investigations continued into the circumstances of their deaths.They are, according to Washington's Metropolitan Police Department: Michael Arnold, 59; Sylvia Frasier, 53; Kathy Gaarde, 62; John Roger Johnson, 73;Frank Kohler, 50; Kenneth Bernard Proctor, 46; Arthur Daniels, 51 and Vishnu Pandit, 61.

Terror at the Washington Naval Yard: How events Unfolded:

08.20am: Shots reported fired at Building 179 on the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters in Washington D.C. where about 3,000 people work.
08.30am: Base police enter the building following reports of an active shooter
08.40am: First responders arrive at the scene as loudspeakers are heard telling people on the naval base to 'shelter in place'
10.00am: The Navy reports one confirmed injury
10.06am: Roads and intersections closed around the Navy Yard as police cars and SWAT teams flood into the area
10.54am: Federal Aviation Agency grounds all flights at National Airport in D.C. due to Navy Yard incident
11.13am: First reports say three civilians, one metropolitan police officer and one officer on the naval base were shot
11.20am: Police report that a gunman has been shot dead
11.50am: Chief Medical Officer at George Washington Hospital confirms that they are treating multiple wounded - the majority of whom are suffering gunshot wounds
Midday: Washington Metropolitan Police Department Cathy Lanier says that the shooter is believed to be deceased at the scene while there are potentially two other shooters at large - this was later ruled out by the FBI
12.20pm: President Obama makes a statement calling those who had been shot at the naval base 'patriots' and expresses his grief at another mass shooting

Investigators earlier were pursuing a possible second gunman but later said there were no suspects beyond Alexis. The incident has raised questions about security at the Washington Navy Yard, about a mile south of the U.S. Capitol and 3 miles from the White House.Alexis, a contract employee, had legitimate access to the Navy Yard and used a valid pass, the FBI said. Authorities did not address how he could have sneaked weapons onto the base. Police patrol officers and active shooter teams put an end to the rampage, shooting Alexis dead. Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the gun battles produced acts of heroism she could not yet reveal.

'Everybody was panicking and trying to decide which way to get out. A few of us just ran out the side exit,' Patricia Ward, who works at the Navy Yard, told reporters. Security guards told people to 'run, run, run,' Ward said.It was the worst attack at a U.S. military installation since U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan opened fire on unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, killing 13 people and wounding 31 others. Hasan, who said he acted in retaliation for U.S. wars in Muslim countries, was convicted and sentenced to death by a military jury in August.

'We are confronting yet another mass shooting, and today it happened at another military installation, in our nation's capital,' said U.S. President Barack Obama, who vowed to enact 'sensible' gun control measures after a gunman shot dead 20 school children and six adults at an elementary school in Connecticut in December. Alexis carried three weapons: an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun that he took from a police officer at the scene, according to two federal law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.For much of the day, authorities said they were looking for a possible second attacker who may have been disguised in an olive-drab military-style uniform.

Frantic Search: Emergency responders arrive at the scene of a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, where several people were killed and others injured when at least one gunman opened fire at the U.S. Navy Yard

Law enforcement personnel are seen through the gate into the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, on Monday, September. 16, 2013

Escape: Employees at the naval yard run from the building with their hands in the air following the shooting

Vermin · Sep 18, 2013

Navy Yard Shooter Aaron Alexis Heard Voices, Experienced Paranoia, Police Report Shows

By COLLEEN CURRY | ABC News 17.09.2013

ABC News - Navy Yard Shooter Aaron Alexis Heard Voices, Experienced Paranoia, Police Report Shows (ABC News)

Chilling details in a police report made public today suggest that Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis may have been losing touch with reality just weeks before he went on a shooting rampage in Washington, D.C.

Alexis called police in Newport, R.I., on Aug. 7 after he switched hotels three times because he heard voices in the walls and ceilings talking to him, trying to keep him awake, and he wanted to file a harassment report, according to police documents.

Alexis told police that he heard voices that he feared were "sending vibrations through his body" and were out to harm him, noting that he had gotten into an argument on a plane to Rhode Island and he was convinced the person he argued with had sent three people to follow him.

Alexis "stated that the individuals are using 'some sort of microwave machine' to send vibrations through the ceiling, penetrating his body so he cannot fall asleep," officers wrote in the police report.

Police questioned Alexis about whether he had any prior mental issues or episodes and any family history of mental illness, but Alexis said he did not. They then notified the Navy police and faxed a copy of the report to the Navy about Alexis's complaints.

The episode showed a disturbed Alexis battling mental issues just weeks before he went to the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., and opened fire on workers there, killing 12 individuals Monday morning.

Alexis, 34, was killed when police rushed to the scene and exchanged gunfire with him.

He had long complained that he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder from helping to clean up after the 9/11 attack of the World Trade Center, but New York officials said they have no record of Alexis working at Ground Zero.

What is clear is that Alexis, a former Navy reservist, struggled with anger issues, outbursts and violence long before he walked into the Navy Yard complex.

Prior to his August call to cops in Rhode Island, Alexis had multiple run-ins with law enforcement agencies around the country as well as the Navy, which negotiated an honorable discharge with Alexis after failing to get a general discharge.

In 2004, Alexis told police that he flew into an "anger-fueled blackout" and shot out the tires of another man's vehicle because the man had allegedly been watching him, according to Seattle police, who arrested Alexis at the time.

Alexis told cops that he could not remember firing his gun at the man's car until an hour after the incident, according to a police report released Monday. A Seattle detective then spoke to Alexis's father, who was "curious" about the incident.

"Mr. Alexis then told me that his son had experienced anger management problems that the family believed was associated with PTSD," the detective wrote in a police report. "He confirmed that his son was an active participant in rescue attempts of September 11th, 2001."

But officials in New York said there is no record of Alexis working as an official responder or cleanup worker.

"He was not on any official list," one official told ABC News.

Alexis could have been a volunteer who went to Ground Zero on his own to help out, but that information would not be able to be confirmed unless a witness came forward to say they saw him there, the official said.

Whether Alexis's problems actually stemmed from 9/11, his behavioral issues were apparent for years before the shooting.

"I know Aaron had some post traumatic [stress disorder] from being in the military," his friend Melinda Downs told ABC News. "He went to the VA and they would give him some medicine."

In addition to Alexis's claim of PTSD, he struggled to connect with his family and win his father's approval, Downs said.

"I know he lived in New York. He moved here from Boston," Downs said. "I know that he said that he has some issues with his family [but] he was never like, 'I hate this person, I hate that person.'"

"Aaron felt not manly enough for daddy's approval. So that's what he said," Downs recalled. "Aaron would say, 'People think I'm not a man because I'm soft-spoken or to myself or quiet when I speak.' He felt a little let down."

Alexis was also a Buddhist who believed in meditation to relieve stress, she said. He would practice meditation and also encouraged his friends to do so. She said she never would have imagined him shooting innocent people.

During his stint in the Navy, Alexis exhibited a pattern of misconduct that included eight to 10 infractions, ranging from a traffic violation to unexcused absences, according to a Navy official. There was also an arrest in 2010 for firing his gun through a neighbor's floor. He claimed it was an accident and was not prosecuted, according to the district attorney's office in Tarrant County, Texas.

And one person close to Alexis said she suspects he repaid her kindness with mischief.

Kristi Suthamtewakul told ABC News that she was convinced that Alexis poured sugar into her new Honda Accord, even though she let him to live in her home and work at her restaurant. Suthamtewakul said Alexis had become frustrated when she was unable to drive him to job interviews and to buy groceries.

But Suthamtewakul's husband, Nutpisit, said there was no way Alexis was capable of shooting innocent people.

"He's not aggressive," Nutpisit Suthamtewakul, a friend and former roommate of Alexis's, told ABC News. "He had a gun, but that doesn't mean he's going to shoot people. He had a concealed-weapons permit."

Nutpisit Suthamtewakul said Alexis liked to play games, drink and party. Alexis spoke Thai fluently, he said, traveled a lot for work and had been living in Washington for four or five months.

"I don't believe he did that," Suthamtewakul said. "He can be tough physically, but I don't think he'd kill people."

Gunmen open fire at Navy Yard in Washington, several killed, injured

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