Omaha, NE: American flags are at half staff across the country in remembrance of one of the worst mass shootings ever on an American Army Base. The alleged shooter remains in the hospital with critical injuries. Action 3 News has learned Nidal Malik Hasan, the alleged shooter, worked at Walter Reed Medical Center as a psychiatrist for six years before coming to Fort Hood, Texas. Hasan was scheduled to go overseas. So could that have sent him over the edge?
Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan was an officer and a trusted psychiatrist. He is believed to be the shooter responsible for killing 13 and wounding 30 others during what's being called the worst shooting on a military base. The actions are hard for many to understand, especially for UNMC Psychiatrist Dr. Jim Sorrell.
Dr. Sorrell sat down with Action 3 News' Liz Dorland in a candid interview. "What would make someone in the mental health profession do this?" asks Dorland.
"It's impossible for me to begin to guess what could drive someone in the caring professions, a psychiatrist to harm anyone," begins Dr. Sorrell. "Especially a soldier, an officer who's responsible for these young men and women." Men and women who 39-year-old Nidal Malik Hasan may have turned his gun on.
So why does this happen? "Often there's a sense of injustice, of personal grievance, social isolation and nursing a deep seeded self hatred," Dr. Sorrell explains. He says many times mass shootings end in suicide. Except in this case.
Shot 4 times, Hasan is on a ventilator in a Texas hospital. Friday, a senior U.S. official in Washington isn't ruling out possible ties to radical groups, saying Hasan posted comments about suicide bombings. Now, as the accused Army Major recovers from several gun shot wounds many ask why? While they grieve and wait for answers.
Nidal Malik Hasan was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan. Dr. Sorrell says stress on military men and women to deploy multiple times is becoming a big issue for many when it comes to mental health.
Reported By: Liz Dorland; ldorland@action3news.com
