A Catholic chaplain at Fort Hood army base in Texas has described the scene he witnessed in the wake of the shootings, which left 13 dead and 30 injured, as one of “total chaos”.
Fr Ed McCabe was an the on-call chaplain at the US’s largest army base and was attending a weekly staff meeting at the base when he got word of the shooting spree.
The rampage took place at a 'soldier readiness facility' where troops who are about to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, or who are returning, undergo medical screening.
A priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, Fr McCabe, who holds the rank of Colonel, had celebrated Mass at noon at Fort Hood. "We ended the staff meeting and came to the hospital, Darnall Army Medical Centre, and that's where we stayed," Fr McCabe explained, "because that's where the wounded were. And then I went over to the crime scene to comfort the people who were there."
Of the 13 who died in the shooting, Fr McCabe said he anointed 11. "One died there, a captain. He had been shot three times."
US President Barack Obama has described the “entire nation” as grieving for the “valiant men and women who came under attack in one of the worst mass shootings ever to take place on an American military base”.
He described the incident as "a horrific outburst of violence" and has ordered the flags at the White House and other Federal buildings to be flown at half mast until Veterans Day on 11 November.
Speaking the day after the rampage, Fr Ed McCabe recalled that he prayed for the 30 wounded at the hospital, "…just a quick prayer. It was total chaos".
Fr McCabe and Fr Raphael Eke "spent the night ministering to those most involved in this tragedy."
Major Nidal M. Hasan, 39, a psychiatrist at Fort Hood, is suspected to have been the sole gunman. He was wounded in the attack and was placed in custody and hospitalised.
The Virginia-born son of Jordanian immigrants was scheduled to go on his first deployment to the Middle East and was known to be upset over this.
Meanwhile Bishop Curtis J. Guillory of Beaumont has described the shootings as a tragedy. “Our prayers are with those who are affected and their families, and I pray for comfort and healing of those who were shot," he said.
The base is located in the Diocese of Austin, Texas.
In a statement, Mgr Michael Mulvey, Austin's diocesan administrator, said, "All of us are in shock by the horrors of the tragedy at Fort Hood. Our prayers and tears go out to the victims and their families.”
Archbishop Timothy Broglio said: "In addition to our prayers for the deceased and the wounded, our hearts go out to the families who have suffered the terrible consequences of this heartless massacre. Once again the shadow of death and suffering has struck the innocent who were at the service of our country."
He added, “At the same time the Church also remembers and prays for whoever was responsible”.
