Fort Hood: Separating Fact from Conjecture

Opinions and expert commentary are zinging through the media like Ricochet Rabbit today. As the story behind the Fort Hood shootings continues to develop, I am attempting to separate the facts from the guesses.

This is what we know, as of this evening:

• The suspected shooter's name is Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan
• Hasan was an army psychiatrist and about to be deployed - some reports say to Iraq, others to Afganistan
• Hasan is the sole suspect in the shooting
• Hasan is a Muslim
• The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), along with other prominent Muslim groups, has condemned the attack
• Hasan was fired on by Police Officer Kimberly Munley five minutes after the first 911 call came in
• Officer Munley took several gun shot wounds but continued to fire until Hasan went down
• The suspected shooter is currently on a ventilator in stable condition
• Soldiers in the vicinity responded quickly and heroically, treating the wounded and sealing off a nearby crowded auditorium
• Fort Hood operates like a small city, and soldiers living on base do not carry firearms as a matter of practice
• 13 are dead
• Roughly 30 are wounded
• All but two of the victims were soldiers

This is either conjecture or, at best, unconfirmed:

• Some of the dead or injured were hit by friendly fire
• The suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire
• Hasan was known to have made extremist postings on the Internet as well as disturbing private statements about his disdain for the military

The real facts of this case are coming to light even as I type. Based on what we know a picture emerges of a disturbed loaner and a brave community reacting decisively to an attack.

I was quite discouraged listening to the radio today as callers and broadcasters who couldn't possibly have collected enough information to form a sound opinion, nevertheless fired off authoritative commentary on what caused this tragedy and how it could have been averted.

It was up the first responders to act quickly - instinctively - to end this attack. It is up to the rest of us to calmly and thoroughly gather information before making any pronouncements or policy decisions. In security, we must avoid making decisions based on the raw emotion of the moment. And we must shun feel-good responses that give the appearance of action but do little to actually make people safer.

Risk can never be eliminated. It can only be managed. All we can really do today is to fly our flags at half mast, and pray for those grieving and recovering in the wake of this madness.