Shootings at Ft. Hood

The horrific news:  12 dead, 31 wounded.  Victims were preparing to deploy overseas.  One shooter is among the dead, the Army is searching for two more shooters has two more in custody, all soldiers.  Not many more details available at the moment.  Ft. Hood, which is a huge installation north of Austin, is closed down, they won't even let journalists on base, where they are doing a sweep of the place.

The dead shooter's name, they just said on CNN, is  Major Malik Nadal Hasan.  Sounds Arabic / Muslim; I was afraid of that.  But nobody so far is using the word "terrorism."  Still, with 3 shooters, it was some kind of plot, seems to me.

I certainly hope no rightwing idiots retaliate against innocent people. 

The President has already made a statement, but I missed it.  Gov. Perry is giving a news conference now, has ordered flags in Texas to be flown at half-mast.  Hospitals in the area are calling for blood donations ASAP for the wounded.

In Washington, the House of Representatives just observed a moment of silence.  So awful, a very sad day here in Texas where ironically the weather is so beautiful:  sunny and mild, autumn leaves glowing in the sun.

Overseas truckbuddies, you can see live reports of the tragedy at cnn.com.

Update, 5:25 p.m.:  WFAA, the oldest Dallas TV station, reports on the dead shooter:

A defense official speaking on condition of anonymity says Hasan was a mental health professional - an Army psychologist or psychiatrist. It was not known whether he was treating people at the base. Officials say it was not clear what Hasan's religion was, but investigators are trying to determine if Hasan was his birth name or if he may have changed his name and converted to the Islamic faith at some point.

The New York Times news blog is providing breaking reports as they come in.

Update, 11/6, 9:55 a.m.:  The shooter, as you all know by now, is alive, contrary to first reports.  The other two suspects were interrogated and released. Latest updates, including photos and videos, here.