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2009 Fort Hood Shooting

SOLVED2009Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · ongoing investigation — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On November 5, 2009, a mass shooting occurred at Fort Hood near Killeen, Texas, when U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan, a psychiatrist preparing for deployment to Afghanistan, opened fire inside the Soldier Readiness Processing Center. Hasan had purchased an FN Five-seven semi-automatic pistol in July 2009 and acquired thousands of rounds of ammunition in the weeks before the attack. At approximately 1:34 p.m., after asking for a specific officer, Hasan stood, shouted "Allahu Akbar," and began firing on soldiers and civilians in the building.

Several people attempted to stop him, including Army Reserve Captain John Gaffaney and civilian physician assistant Michael Cahill, both of whom were killed while trying to charge Hasan. Base civilian police Sergeant Kimberly Munley engaged Hasan outside the building and was wounded by gunfire. Sergeant Mark Todd subsequently exchanged fire with Hasan and shot him five times, ending the attack after roughly ten minutes. Investigators later recovered 214 spent shell casings; Hasan still carried 177 unfired rounds when apprehended.

The attack killed 13 people—12 soldiers and one civilian—and wounded more than 30 others. Hasan was struck by at least four bullets and was left paraplegic. He was treated at Scott and White Memorial Hospital and later Brooke Army Medical Center before being held at the Bell County jail.

Investigations by the FBI and Army Criminal Investigation Command found no evidence that Hasan had co-conspirators, and the FBI classified him as a homegrown violent extremist acting alone. Media reporting revealed that Hasan had exchanged nearly 20 e-mails with Yemen-based cleric Anwar al-Awlaki between December 2008 and June 2009, which a Joint Terrorism Task Force had reviewed without initiating a broader investigation. Colleagues at Walter Reed Medical Center had previously raised concerns about Hasan's professional conduct and expressions of Islamist views over several years.

Hasan was arraigned in 2011 and charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. His court-martial faced repeated delays over disputes about his beard and other pretrial motions, and his original judge was removed by an appeals court for lack of impartiality. At his court-martial, which began in 2013, Hasan declared himself the shooter and stated his motive was to defend Taliban leadership in Afghanistan. He was found guilty on all counts on August 6, 2013, and sentenced to death.

The U.S. government classified the shooting as "workplace violence" rather than terrorism, a designation survivors and victims' families challenged in a 2011 lawsuit seeking recognition of the attack as terrorism and associated benefits. In February 2015, following changes under the National Defense Authorization Act, the Department of the Army approved awarding Purple Hearts to victims, which were presented in April 2015. A memorial to those killed was dedicated in Killeen in March 2016.

Key facts

Victims
Michael Cahill, Juanita Warman, John Gaffaney
Date
2009
Location
Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2009-07-31

    Nidal Hasan purchases the FN Five-seven pistol used in the attack at Guns Galore in Killeen, Texas.

  2. 2009-11-05

    Hasan opens fire at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, killing 13 and wounding more than 30 before being shot and subdued by base police.

  3. 2009-11-09

    FBI states investigators believe Hasan acted alone, with no evidence of co-conspirators.

  4. 2009-11-11

    FBI press release states Hasan had communications with the subject of a Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation, later reported to be Anwar al-Awlaki.

  5. 2009-11-12

    Army charges Hasan with 13 counts of premeditated murder.

  6. 2011-01

    A sanity board judges Hasan competent to stand trial, allowing a capital case to proceed.

  7. 2011-07-20

    Hasan is formally arraigned by military court.

  8. 2011-11

    Survivors and victims' families file a lawsuit against the government seeking terrorism classification of the attack.

  9. 2012-12-04

    Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces vacates Hasan's contempt convictions and removes judge Colonel Gregory Gross from the case.

  10. 2013-08-06

    Hasan is found guilty on all counts at court-martial and sentenced to death.

  11. 2015-02-06

    Department of Defense announces approval of Purple Heart awards for victims of the shooting.

  12. 2015-04-10

    Nearly 50 Purple Heart and related awards are presented to survivors.

  13. 2016-03

    Dedication ceremony held for a memorial to victims in Killeen, Texas.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Kimberly Munley

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Base civilian police sergeant who exchanged gunfire with the shooter and was wounded; later awarded the Secretary of the Army Award for Valor.

    citation on file

  • Mark Todd

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Base civilian police sergeant who exchanged gunfire with the shooter and fired the shots that ended the attack; awarded the Secretary of the Army Award for Valor.

    citation on file

  • Michael Cahill

    VICTIM

    Civilian physician assistant killed while attempting to charge the shooter with a chair; posthumously awarded the Army Award for Valor.

    citation on file

  • Juanita Warman

    VICTIM

    Lieutenant Colonel found wounded outside the medical building during the attack.

    citation on file

  • Nidal Hasan

    CONVICTED

    U.S. Army major and psychiatrist convicted at court-martial in August 2013 on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder; sentenced to death.

    citation on file

  • John Gaffaney

    VICTIM

    Army Reserve Captain killed while attempting to charge the shooter; posthumously awarded the Soldier's Medal.

    citation on file

Places

Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas

31.1425, -97.7964

View on the map

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On November 5, 2009, U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan opened fire at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 others before being shot and paralyzed by civilian police. He was convicted at court-martial in 2013 and sentenced to death.
Where did the shooting happen?
Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas.
Who was convicted?
Nidal Hasan (U.S. Army major and psychiatrist convicted at court-martial in August 2013 on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder; sentenced to death.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. 2009 Fort Hood shootingwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — CNNnews · CNN · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — Reutersnews · Reuters · 2026-07-07
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