From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
|
Washington Navy Yard shooting |
|
|
The Washington Navy Yard, June 1985 |
|
|
Location |
NAVSEA Building 197, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
|
Date |
|
|
Attack type |
|
|
Weapon(s) |
|
|
Deaths |
13 (including the perpetrator)[3] |
|
Injured (non-fatal) |
8 (3 from gunfire)[6] |
|
Perpetrator |
Aaron Alexis (deceased) |
On September 16, 2013, Aaron Alexis, a lone gunman armed initially with a shotgun, fatally shot twelve people and injured three others in a mass shooting at the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) inside the Washington Navy Yard in Southeast Washington, D.C.[6][7][8] The attack began around 8:20 a.m. E.D.T. in Building 197. Alexis was killed by police around 9:20 a.m. E.D.T.
It was the second-deadliest mass murder on a U.S. military base after the Fort Hood shooting in November 2009.
[hide]
Pentagon Channel report on the event.
Aaron Alexis, the perpetrator, arrived in the Washington, D.C., area on or around August 25, 2013, and stayed at various hotels. At the time of the massacre, he had been staying at a Residence Inn hotel in southwest Washington since September 7.[9] He was working for a subcontractor on a Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Services contract and staying with five other civilian contractors.[10]
On Saturday, September 14, two days before the massacre, Alexis visited the Sharpshooters Small Arms Range in Lorton, Virginia, 15 miles (24 km) south of Washington. He tested out an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle but did not seek to buy it, a lawyer for the store said. After testing the rifle, Alexis inquired about buying a handgun at the store, but was told federal law does not allow dealers to sell such guns directly to out-of-state customers. Alexis instead purchased a Remington 870 Express 12-gauge shotgun and two boxes of shells, after passing a state and federal background check.[11][12][13][14][15]
Sometime before 8:20 a.m. on September 16, Alexis arrived at the Navy Yard in a rental car, using a valid pass to enter the Yard.[5] He entered Building 197 carrying the disassembled shotgun (the barrel and stock of which had been sawed off) in a bag on his shoulder. He assembled the shotgun inside a bathroom on the fourth floor, then emerged with the gun and began shooting. Many of the people shot on the fourth floor were shot in the head at close range.[2][18] He then continued firing on the third floor and the lobby. A NAVSEA employee described encountering a gunman wearing all-blue clothing in a third-floor hallway, saying, "He just turned and started firing."[19] One man in an alleyway was hit by a "stray bullet".[2] At some point, Alexis shot and killed a security officer and took the officer's Beretta 9mm semiautomatic pistol, using it after running out of ammunition for his shotgun.[2][3][5][10][20]
At 8:23 a.m., the first calls to 9-1-1 were made.[2][21] D.C. police and several other law enforcement agencies responded immediately, with the first police units entering the building seven minutes after receiving the call. Alexis opened fire on police, hitting an officer, Scott Williams, in the leg.[2][3][21] After engaging law enforcement personnel in a gunfight that lasted for more than 30 minutes, Alexis was fatally shot in the head around 9:20 a.m. by police on the third floor. His death was confirmed at 11:50 a.m.[2][21][22][23]
There were 13 fatalities. The suspect and 11 of the victims were killed at the scene,[24] while a 12th victim who was shot in the head, 61-year-old Vishnu Pandit, died at George Washington University Hospital.[5][25] All the victims killed were civilian employees or contractors.[5] Eight others were injured, three of them from gunfire. The survivors wounded by gunshots (police officer Scott Williams and two female civilians) were in critical condition at Washington Hospital Center.[22][26][27]
|
Aaron Alexis |
|
|
|
|
|
Background information |
|
|
Occupation |
Civilian contractor, U.S. Navy sailor |
|
Born |
May 9, 1979 |
|
Died |
September 16,
2013 (aged 34) |
|
Cause of death |
Gunshot wound to the head[2] |
|
Nationality |
American |
Aaron Alexis (May 9, 1979 — September 16, 2013),[28] a 34-year-old civilian contractor, was identified by police as the sole gunman. Alexis was slain in a gunfight with police.[6][29][30][31]
Born in the New York City borough of Queens, Alexis grew up in Brooklyn and was a resident of Fort Worth, Texas.[32] He joined the United States Navy in 2007, and served in Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 46 at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.[33] His rating was aviation electrician's mate and he had attained the rank of petty officer third class when he was honorably discharged from the Navy on January 31, 2011, although the Navy originally intended for him to receive a general discharge.[34]
According to a Navy official, Alexis was cited on at least eight occasions for misconduct.[35] In 2010, he was arrested in Fort Worth for discharging a weapon within city limits.[36][37] Alexis was also arrested in 2004 in Seattle, Washington, for malicious mischief, after shooting out the tires of another man's vehicle in what he later described as the result of an anger-fueled "blackout";[28][38][39] and in 2008 in DeKalb County, Georgia, for disorderly conduct.[40] None of Alexis' arrests led to prosecution.[41]
From September 2012 to January 2013, Alexis worked in Japan, "refreshing computer systems" on the Navy Marine Corps Intranet network for an HP Enterprise Services subcontracting company called The Experts.[clarification needed][42] After returning from Japan, he expressed frustration to a former roommate that he felt he hadn't been paid properly for the work he performed.[33][42] Another roommate of Alexis said that he would frequently complain about being the victim of discrimination.[43][44] In July 2013, he resumed working for The Experts in the United States.[42]
At the time of his death, Alexis was working online on a bachelor's degree in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.[45] He considered himself a Buddhist.[46]
Alexis appeared to be suffering from some sort of mental illness, but there remains speculation as to what drove him to commit the shooting. Alexis had filed a police report in Rhode Island on August 2, 2013, in which he claimed to be the victim of harassment and that he was hearing voices in his head.[47] He also claimed that he was being stalked in an organized manner by a group of three people who were using invisible, electronic means and preventing him from sleeping. On August 23, he went to the VA hospital emergency room seeking assistance with his sleeping problem, subsequently being given Trazadone.[48] He then visited another VA hospital five days later in Washington D.C. for a Trazadone refill.[49]
On September 23, it was revealed that Alexis managed to obtain the security clearance card he used to enter the Navy Yard after answering "No" on questions about whether he was charged with a felony or not as well and if he had any arrests by law enforcement officials in the past seven years. A federal personnel report also failed to mention his 2004 arrest.[50]
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and others lay a wreath at the Navy Memorial on September 17 in honor of the victims.
On the day of the shooting, Washington Chief of Police Cathy L. Lanier initially said that police were searching for a white male wearing khaki military fatigues and a beret, who had allegedly been seen with a handgun, and a black male wearing olive military fatigues and carrying a long gun.[51] The white male was later identified and deemed not to be a suspect.[8][52] The black male was not identified.[7] At 7:00 p.m., officials ruled out the possibility of other shooters besides Alexis, but were still seeking one person for possible involvement.[23]
On September 16, many roadways and bridges were temporarily closed,[27] and flights out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were temporarily suspended.[26] Eight schools were locked down.[27] Shortly after 3:00 p.m., United States Senate buildings went on lock-down for about an hour "out of an abundance of caution", according to the Senate Sergeant at Arms.[52][53] The Washington Nationals baseball team postponed their scheduled evening game, owing to the proximity of Nationals Park to the Navy Yard area.[54]
The Navy Yard reopened and resumed usual operations on Thursday, September 19. Building 197 will remain closed indefinitely.[55]
United States President Barack Obama pledged to ensure the perpetrators would be held responsible.[56] On the day of the shooting, Obama ordered flags flown at half-staff until sunset on September 20 at the White House, all public buildings and all military and naval posts, stations and vessels.[57] On September 17, Department of Defense officials laid a wreath at the Navy Memorial plaza in honor of the victims.[58] President Obama attended a September 22 memorial service for the victims,[59] where he urged people to consider that "there is nothing routine about this tragedy."[60]
The shooting sparked a discussion on the adequacy of security at U.S. military facilities.[61] On September 18, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered a review of security procedures at military facilities around the world.[62] Foreign Policy magazine reported that virtually anyone with a Common Access Card (C.A.C.), provided to government contractors, civilian Defense Department employees, and soldiers, can enter many military facilities "without being patted down or made to go through a metal detector".[63] Aaron Alexis had a Secret-level security clearance and a C.A.C. allowing him to enter the Navy Yard.[64] Conservative commentators including Alex Jones, Ted Nugent, and others suggested that "gun-free zones" on military bases were to blame for the massacre, although armed personnel were on guard at the Navy Yard at the time of the shooting.[65] On NBC's Meet the Press, National Rifle Association leader Wayne LaPierre said, "when the good guys with guns got there, it stopped."[66] In the libertarian Reason magazine, J.D. Tuccille said that on domestic U.S. military bases, most soldiers are prohibited from carrying guns, and that this made the base more vulnerable to an attack.[67]
On September 17, gun control activists and relatives of victims of shootings that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Aurora, Colorado, and the Oak Creek, Wisconsin Sikh temple, came to Washington to protest for stricter gun control. The activists said they hoped that the Navy Yard attack's proximity to Capitol Hill would motivate lawmakers to act to impose stricter background checks and close the gun show loophole.[68]
