Gunman Opens Fire at NASA

[Wildflower]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/20/nasa.gu...index.html

 

Gunman thought to still be in bldg 44.

[Richard]

It sounds like people all over are starting to go crazy.

Gunman kills one at space center

09:44 PM CDT on Friday, April 20, 2007
By Michelle Homer / KHOU.com & Associated Press

A gunman who took two hostages inside building 44 at JSC killed one of them, then took his own life Friday afternoon.

A second hostage, a woman, was bound to a chair with duct tape, but was unharmed. The gunman was identified as Bill Phillips who was a contract engineer with Jacobs engineering said Johnson Space Center Director Michael L. Coats.

The shooting victim was identified as David Beverly, NASA engineer. The female hostage Fran Crenshaw was taken to an area hospital by ambulance but was walking on her own when she came out of the building.

She was released from St. John Hospital and was being questioned by Houston police Friday night said Police Chief William Hurt.

HPD hostage negotiators were trying to establish communication just after 5 p.m. when they heard the gunshot. They found the gunman dead of a gunshot to the head inside a room on the second floor.

The hostage was able to walk to the ambulance on her own after escaping from building 44.

"Also on the same floor there was one other hostage that was shot. We believe that may have occurred during the early minutes of this ordeal," said HPD Capt. Dwayne Ready.

Beverly had been shot in the chest.

His wife Linda, surrounded by friends and family at her home, said her husband's death was a "huge loss for NASA" and said the space agency recently honored her husband with an achievement award.

Coats said Phillips had worked at NASA for "12 to 13 years" and "until recently" was a good employee. He said investigators were looking into a story that Phillips had lunch with his two victims earlier in the day.

Hurt said police found a message on a dry erase board in the office where the shootings took place. Hurt would not reveal the specific messages left but confirmed that Phillips had written down several phone numbers of people to contact.

Jacobs Engineering, a NASA contractor that has a $1.5 billion contract for technical support, confirmed that the gunman is one of its employees.

“We understand it is one of our employees,” said John Prosser, the company’s executive vice president.

Hurt said the gun used was a revolver purchased on March 18 at a local gun shop.

What lead to the shooting was not yet known said Coats.

Hurt said police believe that Phillips shot Beverly first about 1:45 p.m. before taping Krenshaw to a chair.

Evacuated employees gathered outside building 44.

A source inside JSC told 11 News that a meeting was under way in a conference room when the gunman walked in and pointed a gun at one person. He ordered everyone else out.

An HPD canine unit was sent to search the suspect's home in the14,000 Jade Meadow Court in southeast Houston.

NASA security responded and HPD was called after the initial call around 1:40 p.m.

More than 15 police cars could be seen outside the building from Air 11.

Building 44, just north of Rocket Park, houses the communications and engineering departments. It is used to test communication equipment for the space shuttle and International Space Station. There are several labs inside.

It was uncertain how many employees worked in the building.

More than 15 police cars could be seen outside the building.

NASA employees and contract workers were kept informed of the situation by e-mail.

Christine Reichert, space station flight controller at the space center, said employees were initially told to stay in their buildings. That restriction was lifted a few hours later.

Michael Zolensky, who studies cosmic dust at the space center, said workers were gathered around a television watching news reports of the situation.

Doors to Mission Control were locked as standard procedure.

Dozens of police officers and the HPD SWAT unit surrounded the JSC building.

Space Center Intermediate, a Clear Lake ISD school on the NASA property, was also placed on lockdown as a precaution.

Roads within the 1,600-acre campus were blocked off.

Building 44 is along the path of JSC tours.

The gun was a snub-nosed revolver, either .38 or .357-caliber, Ready said. A NASA spokesman said the agency would likely review its security.

“Any organization would take a good, hard look at the kind of review process we have with people,” Doug Peterson said.

To enter NASA, workers flash an ID badge as they drive past a security guard. The badge allows the workers access to designated buildings.

JSC does not routinely search cars or visitors. Kennedy Space Center in Florida does conduct routine searches.

President Bush was informed about the gunman as he flew back to Washington from an event in Michigan, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

http://www.khou.com/news/local/crime/sto...63a6.html#

[Astrojewels]

Richard,
they are not going crazy, they are being triggerd.

[Richard]

I agree they are being triggered. Do you have any thoughts what this might be leading up to?