The suspected gunman of Navy Yard in Washington, DC which left 13 people dead (including the gunman) from ages 43-76 has been identified as 34 year old New York born Texan Aaron Alexis. The gunman was a sub contractor or contractor for a private IT company with a public trust clearance which allowed him to enter the Navy Yard base without being subjected to vehicle and body inspections faced by regular visitors and non clearance personnel. Authorities have been trying to piece together how a man who suffered from mental health problems was able to have easy access to deadly assault rifles and weapons. Alexis himself complained of hearing voices and tried to receive mental health support from the Veteran's Affairs hospital or VA Hospital. He joins the list of previous American gunmen Adam Lanza, Aurora shooter, Jared Loughner, etc who not only have mental problems but posse a threat to society via their terrorist actions although mass shootings are not considered as terrorism in the United States. This shooting mirrors the shooting at Fort Hood by Army Physician Nadal Hassan and is the top 12 deadliest shootings in recent US history. Once again the gun debate has revived on what must be done to halt the next mass shooting.
He has been described by his friends as friendly, helpful, quiet and fluent in Thai. He volunteered his time at a local Fort Worth restaurant Happy Bowl (apt ally named) where he was able to practice his Thai and thought of visiting Thailand one day. Incidentally, he was also becoming a practicing Buddhist. Some who knew him were in disbelieve that Alexis had carried out the attacks. His family in Brooklyn is distraught, despite Aaron's two previous arrest by police for firing pistols into a neighbor's floor in Fort Worth and shooting a car tire in Seattle, Washington. His brother in law said he and his sister were stunned by the actions and didn't expect their brother in law to be the wanted suspect. Alexis' father explained in a report that his son had anger issues and suffered from PTSD as a result of helping recovery efforts after September 11th attacks in 2001. Alexis is a life long New Yorker who several years ago moved to FT Worth, Texas. Some reports say Aaron Alexis was a discharged Navy reservist dealing with PTSD as many Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam Veterans deal with on a daily basis.
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How did D.C. shooter Aaron Alexis get a gun and security clearance?
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The Mid Atlantic region of the US also known as the Northeast known for its extreme weathers and most populous city New York City or New York where Alexis was born and grew up some 4 hours and 40 mins away from the US' capital Washington, DC sandwiched between the states of Maryland and Virginia where Alexis committed his crime on Monday Sept 16, 2013.DC Shooter's Mom speaks out, heartbroken, apologizes to victims |
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