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Officials: 1 dead, 14 injured at Fort Hood

Source: Agencies | April 3, 2014, Thursday | Online Edition

One person was killed and 14 injured in a shooting yesterday at Fort Hood, and officials at the base said the shooter is believed to be dead.

The details about the number of people hurt came from two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the information by name.

The shooting brought back memories of another shooting on base in 2009, when 13 people were killed in the deadliest attack on a domestic military installation in US history.

Fort Hood said in a statement posted online that its Directorate of Emergency Services had an initial report that the shooter was dead, but that the report was unconfirmed. Additional details were not immediately available.

A US law enforcement official said reports circulating within the Justice Department indicate the shooter died of what appears to be a self-inflicted wound. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is still ongoing.

The Army said on its official Twitter feed that the Texas Army post was still on lockdown. Injured people were being treated at the post's Carl R. Darnall Medical Center and other local hospitals.

President Barack Obama vowed that investigators will get to the bottom of the shooting, seeking to reassure the nation whose sense of security once again has been shaken by mass violence

In a hastily arranged statement, Obama said he and his team were following the situation closely but that details about what happened at the sprawling Army post were still fluid. He said the shooting brought back painful memories of the 2009 shooting.

Obama reflected on the sacrifices that troops stationed at Fort Hood have made — including during multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan.

"They serve with valor, they serve with distinction and when they're at their home base, they need to feel safe," Obama said. "We don't yet know what happened tonight, but obviously that sense of safety has been broken once again."

The president spoke without notes or prepared remarks in the same room of a Chicago steakhouse where he had just met with about 25 donors at a previously scheduled fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee. White House officials quickly pushed tables to the side of the room to make room for Obama to speak to the nation.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said many questions remained about the shooting and the focus was on support the victims and their families. "This is a community that has faced and overcome crises with resilience and strength," he added.

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