On September 16, 2013, there was a mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old military contractor from Texas was identified as the shooter. The violence started at 8:20 a.m., when several shots were fired inside the southeast Washington facility. Twelve people were killed, and fourteen were injured. This mass shooting caused government buildings to go on lockdown, and police SWAT teams rushed toward the scene. The names of the individuals killed by the shooter have not been made public.
According to ABC News, Aaron Alexis showed some signs of mental illness. Not receiving his money was likely what trigged the incident.
Obama called the shooting a “cowardly act” that targeted military and civilians serving their country. The killing of 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard was the sixth mass shooting since the president took office.
Many families are grieving over loved ones they have lost. With as many government jobs and military families as there are in the Huntsville area, many have been put on edge from the shooting. “My parents works for the government, and hearing about shootings like this always make me nervous,” says junior Kayla Carden. “I know we’re no D.C., but having a lot of government jobs in this area always makes news like this worse.”
