Aaron Alexis Named as Navy Yard Gunman

AP photo

The FBI has identified Aaron Alexis, 34, a defense contractor and former Navy reservist, as the gunman who killed 12 people and wounded 8 others is a shooting spree September 16 at the Washington Navy Yard. He gained access to the secure facility legally using his contractor status and commenced his rampage using an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun and later with a handgun he pilfered from a police officer. Police officers killed Alexis after he barricaded himself at the headquarters building inside the compound.

No motive for the crime has yet been determined. Alexis has a history of problems with the law, including two during which he used guns illegally. According to people who knew him, he regarded himself as a victim of discrimination from the Navy, possibly due to delays in receiving his pay, and began treatment for mental disorders from the Veterans Administration in August.

The shooter worked in a Thai restaurant and considered himself a Buddhist, but his actions at the Navy Yard were in direct conflict with Buddhist teachings.

Seven of the victims killed have been positively identified. Michael Arnold, 59; Sylvia Frasier, 53; Kathy Garde, 62; John Roger Johnson, 73; Frank Kohler, 50; Kenneth Bernard Proctor, 46; and,Vishnu Pandit, 61. Ham on Wry extends its deepest sympathy to the family members of these 7 victims and those not yet known.