Obama: America Is "Heartbroken" Over Second Fort Hood Shooting
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News spread across America Wednesday that another gunman had opened fire at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. The death toll is still uncertain, with reports saying four dead, including the shooter, and as many as 16 people are injured. In 2009, 13 people were killed and 30 injured in the deadliest attack on a domestic military installation ever. Today's gun violence brings back memories of that horror. While details continue to emerge, President Barack Obama addressed the press from Chicago, where he was for a fundraiser. He said:
"I just got off the phone with the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to get the latest on the shooting at Fort Hood. Obviously, we're all following it closely.
The situation is fluid right now, but my national security team is in close contact not just with the Defense Department but with the FBI. They are working with folks on the ground to determine exactly what happened and ensure that everyone is secure. I want to just assure all of us we are going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.
Any shooting is troubling. Obviously this reopened the pain of what happened at Fort Hood five years ago. We know these families, we know the service to their country and the sacrifices that they make. Obviously our thoughts and prayers are with the entire community and we are going to do everything we can to make sure the community of Fort Hood has what it needs to deal with a tough situation but also any potential aftermath.
We're heartbroken that something like this might have happened again. I don't want to comment on the facts until we know exactly what happened. But just for now I would hope that everyone across the country keep the families of Fort Hood in our thoughts and our prayers.
The folks there have sacrificed so much on behalf of our freedom. Many of the people there have been on multiple tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, they served with valor, they served with distinction. At their home base they need to feel safe. We don't yet know what happened tonight, but obviously that sense of safety has been broken once again. We need to find out exactly what happened."