Aaron Alexis, the man who killed 13 people at a naval base in Washington DC, worked as an IT specialist for The Ecperts, “a subcontracting company of HP (Hewlett-Packard) Enterprise Services, which takes care of updating” intranet network of U.S. Navy and Navy, explained Michael Thacker, HP spokesperson in an e-mail.
He was allowed to enter the military base, even though he had a history of opening fire during different conflicts in the past, serving in the Navy from 2007 to 2011. As a sign of respect for the victims of the attack, President Barack Obama gave the order to lower the American flag until Friday night.
Washington’s Mayor Vincent Gray said that there is no evidence that attack would have been a terrorist act, but added that there weren’t found any other reasons.
Yesterday’s attack led to the closure of the Senate and the suspension of flights in the city, being raised the suspicion that the US faces a terrorist attack. In the hours following the attack the officials spoke of a second suspect, but the FBI later determined that Aaron Alexis was the only attacker.
Witnesses related that Alexis, who possessed several semi-automatic weapons, opened fire around 8:20 local time, on one of the corridors of the naval base, after he went out on a balcony firing towards the workers who came to work. It seems that the man has legally bought the weapons used in the attack from Virginia. The shooting reopen the debate about a possible restriction of the right to carry a gun in the US.
“We are facing with another attack that resulted in a mass murder. Victims are men and women who were going to work, whose job was to protect us all,” said President Barack Obama.
Other questions arise to how easy Alexis, who had a past record, was allowed to work in a military base. In 2004, Alexis fired at the tires of a car parked outside his home following a dispute related to the parking lots. In 2010, while living in Texas, Alexis fired a bullet through the ceiling of his house, angry over his neighbours making too much noise.
Alexis has escaped from being sentenced to jail in both cases, after his lawyers argued that he was suffering from post-traumatic shock caused by the terrorist attacks from the 11th of September 2001. It seems that the man has been involved in rescue actions, to recover the bodies after the attacks of the Twin towers in New York.
