14 DAY TRIAL // The man identified as the gunman in the deadly rampage at the Navy Yard in Washington D.C. has used a semi-automatic weapon to kill 12 people.
He apparently had a shotgun on him and shot only civilians. He did not target anyone in specific, but he had planned out the mass shooting, also bringing a shotgun and a handgun with him.
According to the Daily Mail, 34-year-old Navy shooter Aaron Alexis was part of the rescue effort after the 9/11 attacks in New York City.
In 2004, he displayed “anger issues,” shooting a construction worker's tires for “disrespecting him.” He then described experiencing a “blackout” during the incident.
“He said that he didn’t remember pulling the trigger of his firearm until about one hour later,” the Seattle police report states.
In 2010, Alexis was arrested in another shooting, after he put a bullet through the ceiling of his apartment.
The incident was classified as an accidental shooting, but the suspect was booted out of the Navy for “misconduct” in January 2011.
He went on to shoot 12 people on the base, and only seven Navy shooting victims have been identified at this point.
“There are 12 dead including the shooter. The entire JTTF is active on the case,” a police source describes.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray informs that authorities are still searching for the gunman’ motive.
“We have no known motive at this stage. We will continue the investigation to try and figure out what that motive is. We don’t have any reason to suspect terrorism, but certainly it has not been ruled out,” he says.
“The President directed his team to stay in touch with our federal partners, including the Navy and FBI, as well as the local officials,” a White House statement mentions.
[Update 18.09.2013]: This article has been corrected to include the mention of a shotgun used by the gunman. A previous version included a reference to an AR-15 semiautomatic.