Officers responded to shots being fired today at two different military facilities in Tennessee. Five are dead, including the gunman. Four of the deceased were United States Marines, according to authorities.
“It is incomprehensible to see what happened and the way that individuals who proudly serve our country were treated,” said Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke.
The alleged gunman has been identified as Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, 24. It is believed that he is from Hixon, Tennessee, and may have been born in Kuwait. Abdulazeez is dead, though details have not been released at this time concerning how he died.
Federal authorities have stated that the incident is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism.
Update – 7/17/2015
Details of the shooter, Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez have emerged.
The New York Times has reported that Abdulazeez had not been a subject of interest for any prior investigations from authorities. The Times has also reported that Abdulazeez posted “at least two Islam-focused writing on a blog, including one in which he described life as ‘short and bitter'” and that Muslims must take “the opportunity to submit to Allah.”
As the Times states, “Mr. Abdulazeez was not on the government’s radar…,” which is odd provided that his father had at one time been on a terrorist watch list.
President Obama has stated that Abdulazeez acted alone.
The cause of Abdulazeez’s death is currently unknown but an autopsy will be performed over the weekend.
