Fort Hood Shooting Suspect Still Alive

It looks like initial reports of Nidal Malik Hasan’s death may have been premature.

It seems that Hasan was shot by police and is currently being treated at a local hospital and in stable condition.

From the New York Times:

Earlier reports that the suspect had been killed turned out to be wrong, said Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone, the commanding officer at Fort Hood.

Mr. Hasan, 39, who had been promoted in May and previously worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, was about to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, according to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Her spokesman, Jeff Sadoski, said Major Hasan was upset about his pending deployment.

Carrying two guns, one a semiautomatic weapon and neither of them military-issued, Mr. Hasan began firing around 1:30 p.m. central time at a deployment center where soldiers received last-minute medical attention and instructions before being shipped out overseas, Mr. Cone said. Describing the scene of the shooting, he called it “a very enclosed area” and said that soldiers from a number of units across Fort Hood where there at the time of the shooting.

Tim Lincecum Busted For Possession of Marijuana

Tim Lincecum, the Cy Young award winning pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, is facing charges of misdemeanor possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia use after being stopped for speeding just outside Portland, Oregon.

From the Seattle Times:

At 8:23 a.m. Oct. 30, Washington State Patrol trooper and spokesman Steve Schatzel said, a motorcycle trooper working with a laser device timed a 2006 Mercedes-Benz doing 74 mph northbound in Hazel Dell, where the speed limit is 60 mph.

The trooper pulled the Mercedes over. When the driver, Lincecum, rolled down his window, the trooper smelled marijuana. He asked Lincecum to hand it over, and Lincecum reached into his dashboard console and produced a small pouch and a pipe, Schatzel said.

The amount was 3.3 grams, Schatzel said, which is considered only enough for personal use. Lincecum did not appear to be impaired behind the wheel and is not being charged with a felony crime, Schatzel said.

“Not unless there’s something else going on,” Schatzel said. “With this amount of marijuana, that’s normally the way we deal with it.”

12 Killed, Including Gunman, in Fort Hood Rampage

Twelve people, including a gunman, are dead and 31 wounded after a gunman opened fire today on a soldier-processing center at Fort Hood, Texas.

From CNN:

The gunman was a soldier, and two other soldiers have been detained as suspects, Army Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said.

The slain gunman was identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, a law enforcement source told CNN. Licensed in Virginia, Hasan was a psychiatrist who previously worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center but more recently was practicing at Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, according to professional records.

Ten of the other dead also were soldiers, while the remaining one was a civilian police officer who was working as a contractor on the base, Cone said.

Two of the injured were in “very serious” condition, Fort Hood spokesman Christopher Hogue said.

At Least 12 Dead in Fort Hood Shooting

UPDATE: The New York Times is reporting that the death toll has risen to 12.

According to reports, the main suspect is a US soldier named Malik Nadal Hasan. I also read somewhere that Lt. General Bob Cone said that there are two alleged shooters who were both Army soldiers.

I have friends stationed there who I have not been able to get in touch with. If anyone hears more, please feel free to comment with additional details/links.

From CNN:

At least one person is “neutralized” in connection with the incident, and a second is “cornered,” retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore told CNN, citing “unofficial, unconfirmed reports” from two sources.

On the Fort Hood Web site, the word “closed” is posted with the statement, “Effective immediately, Fort Hood is closed. Organizations/units are instructed to execute a 100 percent accountability of all personnel.”

Fort Hood was asking people on post to stay away from windows, CNN affiliate KXXV said. The incident took place at the sports dome, now known as the soldier readiness area, the station reported.

FBI agents are headed to the scene to assist, said Erik Vasys, spokesman for the FBI office in San Antonio. He had no other details.

From Fox News:

A massive manhunt was under way for the suspect at large, Fox News confirmed. One person was in custody. The New York Post said that there were two shooters at the Army post massacre; other reports said there were three.

The attack apparently happened at Ft. Hood’s Soldier Readiness Center. Army officials didn’t know whether the victims were civilians or military personnel.

Other media reports said the number of victims remained unclear.

The men were reportedly dressed in Army fatigues, but military officials couldn’t confirm that they were Army personnel.

From MSNBC:

The official would not give his name nor additional details. It was unknown whether victims are soldiers or civilians. One gunman was reportedly in custody and another was on the loose, NBC News said.

The base was reportedly on lockdown. Two nearby school districts were also being locked down.

Missing Florida Baby Found Alive

Great news this morning as little Shannon Lee Dedrick, the Florida baby who had been missing for days, has been found alive in a box underneath the bed of the his baby sitter.

From CNN:

The sheriff of Washington County in rural northwest Florida carried the 7-month-old girl into the early morning news conference.

“This is Shannon Lee Dedrick. We found her safe; we do not usually get the happy endings that happened here today,” Sheriff Bobby Haddock said.

“If you want to see a bunch of grown men cry, tonight we rushed her to the hospital and we [were] all calling home to our wives to let them know we found this baby safe.”

The sitter, Susan Baker, her husband, James Baker, and Crystina Lynn Mercer have been detained but have not been charged. Haddock has scheduled another news conference at noon Eastern time.

The incident happened near Chipley in Florida’s panhandle near the Alabama state line.

Casey Anthony: More Documents To Be Released Friday

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that more documents are expected to be released tomorrow in the criminal case against Casey Anthony.

I wonder what they’ll be releasing this time?

From the article:

Several hundred pages will be released by the State Attorney’s Office in response to a public record request. Anthony’s defense team has already received the paperwork.

It’s unclear what information will be in the documents. So far, more than 10,000 pages of documents have been made public.

Casey Anthony: George and Cindy Get Tattoos

Believe it or not, it appears that Casey Anthony’s parents, George and Cindy, recently got tattoos to commemorate their granddaughter, Caylee.

Check Out Our "Tats"

Since this comes from The Globe, I’m sure people will wonder if the photos are real or fake. I can’t say but they sure look real.

Feel free to leave your thoughts.

UPDATE: I see that It’s a Mystery to Me has a great discussion going already. Feel free to check out the post here.

Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street

When Jim Henson first brought us Sesame Street way back in 1969, the concept of educational television programming was revolutionary. Even though kids today have a variety of shows they can watch, I’d still pick Sesame Street over most of the programs out there.

My kids, who are four and two, absolutely love The Count, Ernie and Bert, Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster.

I have to say, the show is definitely not just for kids. There is some good adult humor mixed in. That’s what has made the show stand the test of time! What do you guys think? What’s your favorite scene or episode?

I’ve always loved when The Count and Cookie Monster are eating apples or when Ernie and Bert break out into song and dance in their bedroom. I was touched when Mr. Hooper died and who could forget the film “Follow That Bird”.

Happy Birthday Sesame Street!

10 Bodies Found in Cleveland

Investigators will continue their digging today after finding that the home of a convicted rapist, Anthony Sowell, had been turned into a tomb holding at least 10 bodies.

From CNN:

Fire officials were to help in the search inside Anthony Sowell’s house with plans to tear into walls and floors of the three-story structure for more remains.

“I like to believe there is nothing else more there, but we will not know until we finish the search,” said Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath. “It appears that this man had an insatiable appetite that he had to fill.”

Authorities on Tuesday charged Sowell, 50, with five counts of aggravated murder, police said. He also was charged with rape, felonious assault and kidnapping, police said. A judge denied bond for Sowell on Wednesday, saying the latest allegations were “gruesome” and the “most serious” he had heard during his time on the bench.

Sowell was arrested Saturday, two days after police discovered the decomposing bodies of five females inside his home and another woman’s body outside the house.

3 College Softball Players Found Dead

A tragic story coming out of North Dakota this morning as the bodies of three missing students and softball players from Dickinson State University, who had been missing since Sunday, were found in a vehicle submerged in a pond near their school.

From CNN:

The discovery came Tuesday afternoon after a search team found tire tracks leading to a stock pond for cattle five miles northwest of Dickinson, North Dakota, Lt. William Leach of the Stark County Sheriff’s Office told CNN. The investigators found a white 1997 Jeep Cherokee with California tags containing the bodies, he said.

Foul play is not suspected, he said.

The Dickinson State University softball players — Kyrstin Gemar, 22, a senior who owned the car; Afton Williamson, 20, a junior; and Ashley Neufeld, 21, a senior — had last been reported seen about 10:45 p.m. Sunday, according to CNN affiliate KXMB.

From the Associated Press:

Teammates and family members threw roses and softballs Wednesday into the farm pond where three North Dakota college softball players were found dead inside their sunken sport utility vehicle.

But there were few answers to their most troublesome questions: How did the women find themselves trapped in the water? How long did they suffer after frantically calling friends for help?

“I can’t believe that my baby is gone. I miss her terribly. I’m just wondering … What went through her mind while she was still alive in her last moment?” said Claire Gemar, of San Diego, whose 22-year-old daughter, Kyrstin, was among the three Dickinson State University students pulled from the small pond after signals from the phone calls helped lead authorities to the farm.

No foul play is suspected in the deaths Gemar; Afton Williamson, 20, of Lake Elsinore, Calif.; and Ashley Neufeld, 21, of Brandon, Manitoba. The bodies of the women and Neufeld’s dog were found inside the SUV Tuesday.

The women were believed to be on a stargazing trip Sunday night and authorities said they likely drove straight into the water in the dark. The pond is surrounded by high grass and shrubs off a narrow gravel road in a pasture north of Dickinson.