WASHINGTON — The Army says seven people were killed and 20 wounded in a pair of shootings at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. An Army spokesman at the Pentagon says the shootings began about 1:30 p.m. Thursday at a personnel and medical processing center at Fort Hood. The spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Banks, says two shooters were apparently involved. There is no word yet on who they were, nor on identities of the dead. Banks says the second incident took place at a theater on the sprawling base. He says it is too soon to tell whether there is any link to battle stress or repeated deployments. The Army is suffering a record high suicide rate and other signs of stress from fighting two wars. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — The U.S. Army has closed its massive Army base at Fort Hood, Texas, amid reports that several people have been shot and killed at the post. The Web site of the base in central Texas has posted an alert that says, "Effective immediately Fort Hood is closed." The Web site said that units at the base have been ordered to account for all personnel. The site says, "This is not a Drill. It is an Emergency Situation." Several television stations in Texas say several people were both killed and wounded in the shooting. Officials at the base and in the nearby town of Killeen, Texas, have not confirmed those accounts. Fort Hood is located halfway between Austin and Waco. --- WASHINGTON — At least seven people were killed and 20 wounded in a pair of shootings Thursday at the Fort Hood, Texas, the Army said. An army spokesman said the base was locked down after the shootings. Another official told The Asociated Press that at least one shooter had been caught. The FBI was sending agents to the scene. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nathan Banks says the first shooting began at about 1:30 p.m. at a personnel and medical processing office. The facility, called a Soldier Rating and Processing center, handles administrative details for soldiers. Banks says two shooters were apparently involved. There was no immediate word on who they were, nor on identities of the dead. Banks says the second incident took place at a theater on the sprawling base. Another Army official identified that site as the Howze Theater. That official, who requested anonymity to discuss an evolving incident, said a graduation had been scheduled for 2 p.m. at the theater. As the White House gathered details on the shooting, President Barack Obama was still planning to speak late Thursday afternoon at the closing of a White House conference with the American Indian leaders, being held at the Interior Department. Obama was running behind in departing the White House, though. It was not clear whether the president would address the shooting during his appearance at the event. Homeland Security spokeswoman Sara Kuban said officials are still collecting information on the shootings. "DoD, DHS, FBI and other members of the intelligence community are assessing and gathering facts about the shooting," Kuban said. "Because this is early in this event, we cannot at this time confirm motives behind these shootings." Sad stuff. My uncle is there. Can't get ahold of him.
Just in: there was yet another big shooting in Orlando at an office building. Those of you living outside of the US, be lucky.