Navy Yard Shooter: 2 Previous Gun Incidents
Aaron Alexis, identified as the gunman in Monday’s deadly shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard, had fired a handgun in two previous incidents in Texas and Washington state in which no one was hurt, according to police records.
When questioned by Seattle police after he shot out the tires of a construction vehicle in 2004, Alexis said he had experienced an anger-fueled blackout. He claimed he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, purportedly from assisting with rescues after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York.
Then in September 2010, a neighbor of Alexis told Fort Worth police that he had fired a shot through her floor. Alexis claimed the gun had fired accidentally while he was cleaning it, but the woman told police she believed he fired into her apartment after confronting her about noise.
Texas prosecutors declined to pursue charges in the Fort Worth incident.