Tragic

Ft. Hood's Locals React to Shooting

Army town anxious for news of victims.

Thursday's mass shooting at Fort Hood turned the tables on the town as people in battle zones tried to reach loved ones in Texas, instead of the other way round. The identities of the dead had not been released by Thursday night, further fueling worry. It is known that one of the dead was a civilian police officer, and the mother of 19-year-old Amber Bahr had been told that her daughter had been shot in the belly, but "nothing more." Another area resident reported that his friend had texted to say "I've been shot," adding, "I don't know if he's alive or dead." Eyewitnesses reported heroic acts by those who were wounded. A man in uniform warned Rev. Greg Schannep, who was about to enter a graduation ceremony, for example, that someone had opened fire. As the man ran past him into the theater, Schannep said he could see a wound on his back. Town residents weren't entirely surprised by the attack. As one woman put it, "I kind of thought after 9/11, it was only a matter of time before there was a terrorist attack here. I almost wish it had been."