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President Cautions Against Rush To Judgment Over Fort Hood Shootings

By GARY BAUMGARTEN in New York
With additional reporting from JAMES HICKMAN in Texas
Paltalk News Network
President Obama says it's too early to know exactly what motivated yesterday's shootings at Fort Hood, Texas.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, the president cautioned about "jumping to conclusions."
Obama emphasized that this was the act of one individual and said he has ordered flags at all government facilities lowered to half staff from now until Veteran's Day.
Thirteen people are dead, 30 others wounded, as a result of the shooting spree, allegedly by an Army psychiatrist. One of the dead is identified as a civilian, the others are soldiers.
Authorities now say they are certain that the suspected gunman, Maj.Nidal Malik Hasan was working alone and that the weapons he allegedly used were his personal guns. They are declining to speculate on a motive but will release it once the investigation is completed.
The police officer who shot Hasan and was, herself, wounded, is in stable condition in a hospital, as is Hasan and as are the others who were shot in the spree.
Investigators are trying to determine if the guns that were used were properly registered.
"Soldiers are allowed to maintain privately owned weapons," Col. John Rossi said this morning at a briefing from Fort Hood. "We are looking now to see if it was registered on the post." Rossi said random checks are made on vehicles coming through the gate but, "in this case he could have just brought it onto the base."
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates expressed his condolences to the families of those who were killed. ?I am deeply saddened by the tragic events today at Fort Hood," he said. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen, the wounded, and all those touched by this incident."