September 17, 2013

Navy Yard: Aaron Alexis 'had mental health issues'



The man who killed 12 people at a Washington DC Navy installation had received treatment for mental health issues, US media report.
Former US Navy reservist Aaron Alexis, 34, was treated for paranoia, hearing voices and sleeplessness, the Associated Press reported.
The military contractor had a valid pass for Washington Navy Yard, where the attack unfolded, authorities said.
Alexis was shot and killed by police during the assault.
On Tuesday, the US capital remained in a state of shock and mourning.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel laid a wreath at US Navy Memorial Plaza in honour of the Navy Yard victims.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has ordered a physical security review of all Navy and Marine Corps installations, a Navy official told the BBC.
At the White House, where flags are flying at half mast as a mark of respect for the victims, press secretary Jay Carney said President Barack Obama would continue to push for tighter gun control laws in the wake of the shooting.
The attack took place on Monday morning at Building 197, headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command, which builds and maintains ships and submarines for the Navy.
Witnesses said the gunman sprayed bullets in a hallway and fired from a balcony down on to workers in an atrium at the heavily secured installation in the US capital.
The attack only ended when police stormed the building and shot him dead.
Alexis was armed with a shotgun legally purchased in Virginia, as well as one handgun authorities say may have been obtained inside the naval installation.
Previous reports suggested he had used an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. But officials said on Tuesday that although the weapon had been found at the scene, it was neither carried nor used by the gunman.
"There is no question he would have kept shooting," Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier told reporters on Monday.
In addition to the 12 shot and killed, three people - a police officer and two female civilians - received gunshot wounds, but all were expected to survive. Five others were treated for minor injuries.
'Chequered' past
On Tuesday, authorities said they believed Alexis had acted alone and that all victims - ranging in age from 46 to 73 - had been identified.
As an employee of an IT contractor, Alexis apparently had a card granting him access to the building - even though he had had several run-ins with the law and had been discharged from the Navy under a cloud, authorities said.
"It really is hard to believe that someone with a record as chequered as this man could conceivably get, you know, clearance... to be able to get on the base," Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray told CNN.
Alexis left the Navy as a petty officer 3rd class, after serving full-time in the naval reserve from 2007-11, under a general discharge, a status that suggests misconduct.
He had been cited for insubordination, disorderly behaviour and excessive absences from work at least eight times during his Navy career, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
According to media reports, Alexis was a Buddhist convert who had had previous gun-related brushes with the law.
On Tuesday, his employer, an IT contractor called The Experts, said the military should have made his record known.
"Anything that suggests criminal problems or mental health issues, that would be a flag. We would not have hired him," Thomas Hoshko, chief executive officer of firm, told the Washington Post.
The company confirmed Alexis had worked since July at six different military installations and had only been at the Navy Yard for a few days before the shootin

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