The U.S. Army is dispatching dozens of trauma and grief counselors and military chaplains to Fort Hood, Texas in the aftermath of the shooting rampage there that left 13 people dead and 30 others injured.
Authorities say the alleged shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, fired a semi-automatic weapon and another gun at soldiers and civilians inside a building before he was shot four times by a civilian police officer.
The Army refused to discuss possible motives for the shooting, but President Barack Obama and other officials warned against jumping to conclusions as the investigation proceeds. President Obama also expressed his condolences to the families of those killed in the attack. Additionally, he ordered flags at the White House and other federal buildings flown at half staff until November 11 in honor of the dead. A moment of silence also was held at Fort Hood and other U.S. military bases Friday as a show of respect for the victims.
Meanwhile, the remains of the 13 people killed were to be flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, which receives the bodies of U.S. troops killed in war zones.Officials say autopsies will be performed at a mortuary there.