El Paso, Texas Army Base Shooting Leaves 2 Dead: VA Hospital Shut Down
A shooting at an El Paso Army medical base and VA hospital has shut down the complex and sent local police on a manhunt. The situation is now under control after it was found the shooter turned the gun on himself.
The shooting at the Fort Bliss complex in El Paso, Texas led to a lockdown of the whole facility and prompted police officers from the El Paso Police Department to secure the area, reports The Associated Press.
Spokesperson Gil Telles said that at around 4 p.m. there was an "active shooter" within Fort Bliss, which includes William Beaumont Army Medical Center and the El Paso Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Officers from the local police department arrived shortly after.
Initially, neither the Army nor officials would divulge information concerning the shooter, including where the incident happened and if any were wounded.
A couple hours later, however, the police announced the situation was under control, according to NBC News. The base, which also houses the Army's 1st Armored Division, was under lockdown for about an hour.
The El Paso Times reports that the shooter shot a doctor from the VA hospital before shooting himself. The doctor and the shooter are both dead, but their names have yet to be released by authorities.
U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke's office said the investigations are preliminary.
The FBI has also started looking into the shooting as wel and has begun interviewing witnesses and sent crime scene investigators.
"The alleged shooter is dead, and we have one casaulty and that casualty is deceased. All other VA patients and staff are safe," said Fort Biss' commanding officer, Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty.
According to David Aguilera, a VA employee, they were informed of a "Code 1" at around 3 p.m. local time concerning a shooter on the building's fourth floor, reports KTSM.
The El Paso VA announced on its website that it will not be opened on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
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