1.  Army Doctor Suspected of Killing 13 at Fort Hood is Alive

A psychiatrist who had spent much of his career at Walter Reed Army Medical Center opened fire at a medical processing center for soldiers returning from and about to be sent overseas, killing 13 people and injuring 30. USA Today notes that officials beleive this is the deadliest shooting rampage at a U.S. base. The gunman was shot by a civilian officer who was herself wounded but is expected to survive. He finally fell after being struck by four bullets. Contrary to initial reports, the gunman, identified as 39-year-old Nidal Hasan, wasn't killed. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he underwent surgery and is currently unconscious and on a ventilator but "his death is not imminent," one official said. Hasan, wearing a military uniform, fired an automatic pistol and another weapon. The New York Times points out that it's not clear whether he reloaded, but it seems likely considering that 43 people were shot. But his day appeared to begin like any other. The Houston Chronicle talks to a 7-Eleven manager who says nothing seemed out of the ordinary early yesterday when Hasan went into the store for his daily hash browns. "He came in (Thursday) morning just like normal," she said, "nothing weird, nothing out of the ordinary." A few hours later, Hasan was in the largest U.S. military facility in the world, and just began shooting. Once the shooting stopped, military personnel used skills learned for combat, ripping off clothes to make bandages for those who had been shot. "Horrible as this was, I think it could have been much worse," one military official said. Most of the victims were military personnel, but also included two civilians. Everyone calls it one of the worst cases of soldier-on-soldier violence in U.S. military history, but no one seems to be able to cite one that was worse. "I don't recall any officer homicides [like this]," said a military law professor. Military historians say that when soldiers open fire on colleagues it's usually in a war zone due to the stress of the fight or, in some instances, to complain about mistreatment from officers.

Read original story in The Dallas Morning News | Friday, Nov. 6, 2009