Gunman kills hostage and himself at Johnson Space Center

[Brent]

One of the buildings evacuated, not the main complex though.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/12633862/detail.html

[GalvestonDuck]

Got a reply from a coworker about it when I asked about the high school here being on lockdown.

Reply From: ----Coworker----
I received an e-mail from my sons teacher that they were on lock down but she could not tell me why. Just heard it is on the news about it and that Nasa has just been evacuated for a bomb threat.


From: -----Duckie-----
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 2:33 PM


Anyone else hearing that Ball HS is on lockdown due to a student with a gun? A nurse here got a text messsage -- 1st floor is clear, 2nd floor still being searched, no actual shooting as taken place.


If true, it's probably nothing more than a copycat threat, considering today is the Columbine anniversary.

[LAwxrgal]

What is it about this time of the year that brings all the nutjobs out of the woodwork?

[alicia-w]

if you read the papers every day, there's always one out there somewhere...

[Janice]

Another nut on the loose. We will see a lot of copy cats now just to get attention. We are a overpopulated country so you have to expect more nuts then from the past.

[Brent]

Reportedly a homicide unit is at the scene, speculation is he may have been killed by police to end the standoff. Looks like whatever happened is defintely over.

[JonathanBelles]

Gunman opened fire at NASA building, police say


HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- A man with a gun entered a building on the sprawling campus of Johnson Space Center Friday, forcing the evacuation of the building and putting the entire center on alert.

A witness reported two shots fired, said Houston Police spokesman Capt. Dwayne Ready, who described the suspect as a white man with blond hair, about 5 feet 9 inches and 50 to 60 years old. He is armed with a handgun.

"He's barricaded himself into a room," Ready said. "We're not going to know anything more until we establish communication."

Ready could not confirm whether there were any hostages or injuries.

The gunman is in Building 44 on the Johnson Space Center property, police said. Building 44 holds a laboratory.

The call for help came in to the Houston Police at 1:40 p.m. (2:40 p.m. ET) but it's unclear who made that call. (Watch employees being evacuated after gunfire is heard Video)

There is "extremely tight security" at Johnson Space Center, NASA spokesman James Hartfield said.

A NASA spokesperson told CNN that all employees have been told to go home for the day.

Space Center Intermediate School, less than a mile south of Building 44, was locked down, said Karen Permetti, spokeswoman for Clear Creek Independent School District. The lockdown was lifted at about 4 p.m. (5 p.m. ET).

The school has about 1,200 students, according to the school district.

As standard procedure, Mission Control's doors were locked, The Associated Press reported.

[Opal storm]

Weird that this is at NASA,I mean that's kind of the last place you would expect something like this to happen.

[angelwing]

That's just it "the last place you expect it to happen", it can happen anytime, anywhere. It's not the 50's anymore.

[Brent]

Gunman killed a hostage and then himself. Situation is over.

[JonathanBelles]

GAHHH stupid people!

[Nimbus]

You don't suppose there is any method to his madness do you?
Wonder why he chose building-44? Hmmm A Dirty Harry Callahan gun toting idiot in a NASA scientific setting? This guy is definately headed to the puzzle house if he survives.

[Opal storm]

:uarrow:

That's just it "the last place you expect it to happen", it can happen anytime, anywhere. It's not the 50's anymore.

Ain't that the truth.

[GalvestonDuck]

Suicide is a horrible, selfish act. Paired with homicide, it is so much worse for all involved.

I'm praying for those families...and hoping it was not a friend or relative of one of our Hou/Galvers.

[Dr. Jonah Rainwater]

NASA's been having a rough year

[Ptarmigan]

This has been a really bad week, first Virginia Tech massacre, terrorist bombings in Iraq and now this. April is a cruel month.

[Cryomaniac]

I don't think this is a copycat of the VT killings. I think it could a personal terrorist attack, if you see what I mean.

[Ptarmigan]

I don't think this is a copycat of the VT killings. I think it could a personal terrorist attack, if you see what I mean.

I think it is more of a disgruntled worker.

[Opal storm]

I don't think this is a copycat of the VT killings. I think it could a personal terrorist attack, if you see what I mean.

Yeah this guy probably already had problems before the VT killings.Although,maybe the VT killings helped convince him to do it.

[Brent]

From CNN tonight:

Suspect was an employee at a California-based contracting company, all three had gone to lunch together. Something must have happened there. The female hostage was tied up with duct tape, but otherwise uninjured. After the suspect killed himself the woman was able to free herself and then called security.