USA: Man kills hostage, then himself at NASA'S Johnson space centre

An armed man killed a hostage, then himself, at NASA's Johnson Space Centre on Friday (April 20), the latest incident to rattle the United States after the shooting massacre this week at Virginia Tech university. Another hostage, a woman who was gagged and bound, was not harmed, police said. No motive was known for the incident, which began about 1:40 p.m. CDT (1840 GMT) when the gunman went into a building brandishing a gun and was heard to fire at least two shots. Captain Dwayne Ready from the Houston Police Department described what happened. "Shortly before 2 o'clock this afternoon, we received a call in the Houston Police Department regarding possible shots fired here in the NASA complex. Our patrol units arrived, they were met with security personnel at both NASA and the constable's office. They took some preliminary information, determined that a suspect was still possibly inside the building, they then made a call out to swat. Our swat team is now here, they have taken control of the inner perimeter and they are working with our other partners in the FBI. We have the constables out here as well as the fire department. But what we believe at this point is that we have one suspect, a white male, approximately 50 to 60 years old, with one weapon - that being a handgun. And I cannot confirm for you whether that's a revolver, or a semi-automatic, or what calibre at this time. But our swat team members are here, their negotiators are here. We don't not know if there is another person inside with the suspect and I cannot confirm whether or not we've established communication because we're still in the throes of that as I speak. Let me stop there and take whatever questions you have." Workers quickly evacuated and heavily armed police moved in. As they drew closer, they heard a shot and went in to find the gunman and his male hostage dead, said Houston Police Department spokesman Dwayne Ready. "The last time we talked, I indicated that our negotiators were trying to establish communication. While they were trying to establish communication, they did hear one additional gunshot. Believing that the suspect may have killed himself, the decision was made to make entry. As our swat team members made entry, they did indeed determine that the suspect shot himself one time to the head. He appears to be deceased at this time. Also, on the same floor, there was one other hostage that was shot. We believe that may have occurred in the early minutes of this whole ordeal. And another hostage that was unharmed - taped, but unharmed - is being looked at by our paramedics. One hostage fatality, one hostage released unharmed, except for the fact that she was duct taped to a certain degree. There were two people up there with the suspect: one female, one male. The male is deceased, the female was the one that was taped. After the swat team members made entry, we had our paramedics check her." A spokesman for Pasadena, California-based Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. said police had told the company the gunman was their employee. Jacobs provides engineering work for the space agency. The incident added to jitters across the United States after a student gunman killed 32 people at Virginia Tech university on Monday (April 16), in the worst shooting rampage in modern U.S. history. Building 44, where the shooting took place, is slightly separated from most of the space centre, which is a sprawling 1,600-acre (650-hectare) campus, home to NASA's Mission Control and the centre of training for the space agency's astronaut corps.

ITN Source | April 21, 2007

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