1. Fort Hood Shooting
On Wednesday, April 2, a gunman open fired on the Fort Hood military base in Texas. The gunman was later identified as Spc. Ivan Lopez, from Puerto Rico. Lopez used a .45 caliber handgun, injuring 16 people and killing three. All parties involved were members of the military. The shooting ended when Lopez was confronted by a police officer in a parking lot, where he put his hands up, took his 9 mm weapon from under his jacket, and shot himself in the head.
There has been no motive established; however, there are some things that raise questions. First, it has been reported that Lopez was undergoing psychiatric treatment for depression and anxiety, but he was not diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, nothing in his file indicated violent thoughts or actions. Second, a source close to him said that he was disgruntled with the military after they only allowed 2 days leave for his mother’s funeral. Finally, there are reports that Lopez was in an argument with other members of his unit directly before the incident occurred.
Source: Buzzfeed
2. Washington State Mudslide
On Saturday, March 22, there was a mudslide in Washington state, specifically in the town of Oso, which falls in Snohomish County. The mudslide caused significant damage, wiping out everything in its path. Thus far, the fatalities sit at 30 people, with 17 still missing. The estimated financial damages currently stand at around $10 million.
Rescue and recovery workers are still on the scene, doing the back-breaking work necessary in this type of emergency. The crews work with specially trained rescue dogs that use scent to find human remains. This work is made even more difficult due to the large scale of the debris field, which is approximately one square mile. In addition, the sludge can be very deep in spots. An additional concern is that of contamination and toxicity – the mud and sludge can be contaminated by broken septic tanks, propane, and other household chemicals.
Source: Buzzfeed
3. Kent State University Shooting
On Wednesday, April 2, a gunman fired a shot into the ground at Kent State University, triggering a campus-wide lockdown. Apparently, after a verbal altercation between the suspect and an unnamed female, the suspect fired a shot into the ground, prompting the female to quickly enter a car and drive off, with the suspect on the run on foot. The incident occurred outside of Bowman Hall, an academic building. No injuries were reported.
The campus was on lockdown from approximately 9:15 pm, to the majority of campus having the order lifted around 10:20 pm. At that point, only buildings surrounding the area of the incident were on lockdown, with two of the buildings being evacuated room by room. By 11:45 pm, all buildings were cleared and alerts were lifted campus-wide.
The suspect is 24 years old and is a freshman at Kent State University. He was taken to Robinson Memorial Hospital for an unreleased reason.
Source: Cleveland.com