Revealed: Washington gunman who murdered 12 had 'anger issues' after rescuing victims of 9/11 and had been kicked out of the Navy after gun charge

Aaron Alexis, 34, named as the heavily armed gunman who opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington D.C. – killing 12 people and injuring eight others on Monday morning



Used an AR-15 rifle the same weapon used in the Sandy Hook and Aurora mass shootings



SWAT Teams fought a heavy gun battle with him and shot him dead



Alexis served in the U.S. Navy for almost four years before he was discharged in 2011 for 'misconduct'

It has been reported he was discharged from the U.S. Navy because of an arrest for firing his own gun in 2010; a similar incident occurred in 2004

The FBI has determined that Alexis was the only shooter, and police say a valid security pass was used to get into the Navy Yard buildings



Gunman: According to NBC Washington, this man Aaron Alexis, 34, from Fort Worth, Texas is the Navy Yard shooter. A background check has revealed that this is the police mugshot for Alexis who was arrested but not charged for firing a gun in his apartment in 2010

The Washington Navy Yard gunman who killed 12 yesterday has previously claimed to be suffering from PTSD after helping rescue efforts in New York following the 9/11 terror attacks.



Gunman Aaron Alexis was shot dead by responding officers after he opened fire inside a Navy facility around 8:20 a.m. on Monday morning, killing 12 people aged 46-73.



It emerged today that he used three guns during the massacre, one of them an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle - the same weapon used in the Sandy Hook and Aurora mass shootings.

He was killed in one of several running gun battles with police after he entered the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters and started picking off victims in a cafeteria from a fourth-floor atrium, witnesses said.

That set off pandemonium, with fire alarms sounding and security officers yelling at people to leave the building. Hundreds fled, some scrambling over walls to escape the gunfire. A loudspeaker announcement ordered those who remained to stay in their offices.

The motive for the mass shooting - the deadliest on a military installation in the U.S. since the tragedy at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009 - was a mystery, investigators said.



But a profile of the lone gunman, a 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, was coming into focus. He was described as a Buddhist who had also had flares of rage, complained about the Navy and being a victim of discrimination and had several run-ins with law enforcement, including two shootings.

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Collecting guns: Alexis reportedly brought only one gun with him to the Navy Yard and procured two others during the shooting spree

Gunman: This photo provided by Kristi Kinard Suthamtewakul shows Aaron Alexis in Fort Worth, Texas. The FBI has identified Alexis, 34, as the gunman in the Monday, Sept. 16, 2013 shooting rampage in Washington The Morning After: A member of the military arrives for work at the front gate of the Washington Naval Yard September 17, 2013 in Washington, DC

Clues: Investigators enter a Residence Inn hotel where it is believed the gunman involved in the Washington Navy Yard shooting had been staying prior to the attack

Policemen string police tape outside the Brooklyn residence Cathleen Alexis, mother of suspected Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis, in New York September 16, 2013

Eight people were injured including three who were shot, Washington Mayor Vincent Gray said. Those killed were aged 46 to 73, he said. Investigations continued into the circumstances of their deaths.

They are, according to Washington's Metropolitan Police Department: Michael Arnold, 59; Sylvia Frasier, 53; Kathy Gaarde, 62; John Roger Johnson, 73;Frank Kohler, 50; Kenneth Bernard Proctor, 46; Arthur Daniels, 51 and Vishnu Pandit, 61.



Terror at the Washington Naval Yard: How events Unfolded: 08.20am: Shots reported fired at Building 179 on the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters in Washington D.C. where about 3,000 people work.

08.30am: Base police enter the building following reports of an active shooter



08.40am: First responders arrive at the scene as loudspeakers are heard telling people on the naval base to 'shelter in place'



10.00am: The Navy reports one confirmed injury



10.06am: Roads and intersections closed around the Navy Yard as police cars and SWAT teams flood into the area



10.54am: Federal Aviation Agency grounds all flights at National Airport in D.C. due to Navy Yard incident



11.13am: First reports say three civilians, one metropolitan police officer and one officer on the naval base were shot



11.20am: Police report that a gunman has been shot dead



11.50am: Chief Medical Officer at George Washington Hospital confirms that they are treating multiple wounded - the majority of whom are suffering gunshot wounds



Midday: Washington Metropolitan Police Department Cathy Lanier says that the shooter is believed to be deceased at the scene while there are potentially two other shooters at large - this was later ruled out by the FBI

- 12.20pm: President Obama makes a statement calling those who had been shot at the naval base 'patriots' and expresses his grief at another mass shooting

Investigators earlier were pursuing a possible second gunman but later said there were no suspects beyond Alexis. The incident has raised questions about security at the Washington Navy Yard, about a mile south of the U.S. Capitol and 3 miles from the White House.

Alexis, a contract employee, had legitimate access to the Navy Yard and used a valid pass, the FBI said. Authorities did not address how he could have sneaked weapons onto the base.

Police patrol officers and active shooter teams put an end to the rampage, shooting Alexis dead. Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the gun battles produced acts of heroism she could not yet reveal.

'Everybody was panicking and trying to decide which way to get out. A few of us just ran out the side exit,' Patricia Ward, who works at the Navy Yard, told reporters.

Security guards told people to 'run, run, run,' Ward said.

It was the worst attack at a U.S. military installation since U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan opened fire on unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, killing 13 people and wounding 31 others.



Hasan, who said he acted in retaliation for U.S. wars in Muslim countries, was convicted and sentenced to death by a military jury in August.



'We are confronting yet another mass shooting, and today it happened at another military installation, in our nation's capital,' said U.S. President Barack Obama, who vowed to enact 'sensible' gun control measures after a gunman shot dead 20 school children and six adults at an elementary school in Connecticut in December.

Alexis carried three weapons: an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun that he took from a police officer at the scene, according to two federal law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

For much of the day, authorities said they were looking for a possible second attacker who may have been disguised in an olive-drab military-style uniform.



Frantic Search: Emergency responders arrive at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, where 12 people were killed and eight injured on Monday Law enforcement personnel are seen through the gate into the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, on Monday, September. 16, 2013 Escape: Employees at the naval yard run from the building with their hands in the air following the shooting Terror: People hold their hands to their heads as they are escorted out of the building where a deadly shooting rampage occurred at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington on Monday

A woman is reunite with her husband who was one of hundreds of Navy Yard workers evacuated yesterday Terror: A family member of a Navy Yard worker who was evacuated during a shooting arrives hoping to find him at a makeshift shelter at the Nationals Park baseball stadium

Tragic shooting: The Medical Examiner wheels a body on a gurney out of the emergency room at George Washington University Hospital shortly after it was announced that the first victim of the shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington had died

The White House- Washington DC. Outside the White House security presence was elevated after the mass shooting today at the Washington Naval Yard Police who responded to the shooting at the Washington Navy Yard Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, leave the facility

Military personnel watch over the scene of a shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC, USA, 16 September 2013. Twelve people were killed and several wounded in a shooting at the US Navy Yard

But by late Monday night, they said they were convinced the shooting was the work of a lone gunman, and the lockdown around the area was eased.



'We do now feel comfortable that we have the single and sole person responsible for the loss of life inside the base today,' Washington police Chief Cathy Lanier said.

President Barack Obama lamented yet another mass shooting in the U.S. that he said took the lives of American 'patriots.' He promised to make sure 'whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible.'

Since he was identified as the shooter, reports have revealed that it was not the first time he was involved in a shooting.

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In 2004, Alexis was arrested in Seattle for shooting the tires of a construction worker's car during what he later called an anger-fueled 'blackout.'



'He said that he didn’t remember pulling the trigger of his firearm until about one hour later,' according to the Seattle police report.



Later he said that he felt the intended victim 'disrespected' him.



The report states that his father said his anger issues stemmed back to his time in New York where he helped the rescue efforts following the September 11 terrorist attacks.



The shooter's father told police 'that his son had experienced anger management problems that the family believed associated [sic] with PTSD.'



He was arrested in relation to that incident but never charged, an outcome repeated in Fort Worth, Texas where Alexis was living in 2010.

How the Deadly Attack Unfolded: This graphic provides a timeline and graphic depiction of how Aaron Alexis unleashed his shooting rampage across the Washington Naval Yard on Monday morning

Then, he was arrested for discharging a firearm when his neighbor reported that he fired a shot into her apartment. At the time, Alexis claimed that his hand slipped when he was cleaning his gun while cooking at the same time, and that he accidentally fired the weapon.



New reports also claim that Alexis was arrested for a second time in DeKalb county, Georgia and spent two nights in jail over a disorderly conduct charge but no further details have been released about that incident.



Family members of the Washington shooter are 'distraught' to learn that he carried out the massacre, relatives told MailOnline today.

Alexis, a one-time Texas resident who was known to worship at a Buddhist temple, served in the military and most recently was furthering his education while holding a job in the private sector, his father, Algernon Alexis, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

'This comes as a complete shock,' the elder Alexis said when told his son was the suspected shooter.

Alexis served full time in the U.S. Navy Reserve from May 2007 to January 2011, becoming an aviation electrician, and he received the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, a Navy official told Reuters.

He was recently hired as a civilian information technology contractor to work on the Navy and Marine Corps intranet and was given a security clearance classified as 'secret,' his company's chief executive told Reuters.

A federal law enforcement official said he was living at a Residence Inn in Southwest Washington.

'He did have a secret clearance. And he did have a CAC (common access card),' said Thomas Hoshko, CEO of the company, called The Experts.

Officers wearing bullet-proof vest and carrying automatic weapons surround the naval base this morning Armed police prepare to enter the Washington Navy Yard as they respond to a shooting in Washington, Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. At least one gunman opened fire inside a building at the Navy yard

On the move: The naval base descended into chaos this morning after shots were fired around 8.20am

Reunited: Navy Yard workers evacuated after the shooting are reunited with loved ones at a makeshift Red Cross shelter at the Nationals Park baseball stadium near the affected naval installation in Washington, September 16, 2013

Release: Office workers who had been under lock down cross M Street to leave the area around the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, DC, USA, 16 September 2013

Alexis was arrested on September 4, 2010, in Fort Worth, Texas, on a misdemeanor charge of discharging a firearm but the case was dropped when investigators determined he was cleaning his gun and it accidentally fired, Tarrant County prosecutors said.

He was also arrested in Seattle in 2004 for shooting out a construction worker's car tires in an anger-fueled 'blackout' triggered by perceived 'disrespect,' according to the Seattle Police Department.

In recent years, he developed a love for Thai culture, learning to speak the language and working at the Happy Bowl restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2008, said Tiki Confer, 64, owner of another Thai restaurant nearby. He worshipped at a Buddhist temple, she said.

'He was a very nice boy. When I saw his picture on the news, I was shocked,' Confer said.

Throughout the late 1990s until 2002, he was listed as living in Manhattan and Queens in New York City. He is still registered as a voter in New York City.

The shooting rattled the U.S. capital, forcing the Federal Aviation Administration to briefly suspend departures at Reagan National Airport. The District of Columbia Public Schools put six schools and an administration building on lockdown as a precaution.

Airlift: A police helicopter lifts what appears to be a shooting victim up as it hovers over a rooftop on the Washington Navy Yard campus in Washington, September 16, 2013

Dramatic: A helicopter lifts what appears to be a shooting victim up. The U.S. Navy said several people were injured and there were possible fatalities in the shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington D.C. on Monday A Park Police helicopter carries a sniper to the roof of a building on the Navy Yard complex where a shooting took place early this morning on September 16

Attack Aftermath: Media and emergency response personnel gather outside the US Navy Yard where at least one unidentified gunman opened fire at the US Navy Yard in Washington on Monday Snipers take their positions on the roof of a building at the Navy Yard complex where two gunmen have shot at least ten people

District of Columbia Police Chief Cathy Lanier briefs reporters on the shooting at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington where at least one gunman opened fire inside a building at the Washington Navy Yard

The Washington Nationals baseball team postponed their game against the Atlanta Braves scheduled for Monday night at nearby Nationals Park.



Washington police chief Cathy Lanier said investigators lifted the "shelter in place" for neighborhoods near the Navy Yard once they had exhausted all leads for a possible second shooter.



Navy Secretary Ray Mabus called the Navy Yard shootings "an attack on the Navy family," and said the shooting revealed a potentially serious security breach.



Military personnel are generally banned from carrying weapons on military installations but most people with proper credentials are not routinely checked for firearms.



'It appears that we have at least 13 fatalities … it doesn’t get much more serious than that, obviously,' added Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray during an afternoon press briefing on Monday.



'We have no known motive at this stage. We will continue the investigation to try and figure out what that motive is.'



'We don’t have any reason to suspect terrorism, but certainly it has not been ruled out.’

Solemn: A U.S. Capitol Police officer patrols the steps at the Capitol as the investigation continues at the nearby Washington Navy Yard where at least one gunman opened fire on Monday

Witnesses reported one man described as an African-American male dressed in military fatigues and armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle opening fire upon entering the base at the Naval Sea System Command HQ.

Todd Brundidge, an executive assistant with Navy Sea Systems Command, said he and other co-workers encountered a gunman in a long hallway of their building on the third floor. The gunman was wearing all blue, he said.

'He just turned and started firing,' Brundidge said.

Patricia Ward, who works at the Navy Yard, described how she was in the cafeteria when she heard 'three gunshots, pow-pow-pow, straight in a row.'

'All of the people that were in the cafeteria, we all panicked, and we were trying to decide which way we were going to run out,” she said to NBC News . “I just ran.'

Tim Hogan, a spokesman for Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada, posted photos to his Twitter account of people helping someone who had been hit by gunfire.

Shock: Navy Yard workers evacuated during a shooting arrive at a makeshift shelter at the Nationals Park baseball stadium in DC Initial reports from the scene were that one of the suspects walked up to the facility, opened fire and then ran inside the building.

'The first call arrived, and ‘within 2 to 3 minutes, MPD officers were on the scene .. within 7 minutes we had active shooter teams … moving inside the building,' said Lanier. Metro police got into ‘a final gun battle’ that killed the suspect. ‘One of the worst things we’ve seen in Washington, D.C.’ ‘There was gunfire still going on’ while officers searched.

‘There’s no question he would have kept shooting’ if officers hadn’t killed him Civilians inside the military complex described the frantic scenes that greeted them first thing on a Monday morning. 'There was three gunshots straight in a row,' said Patricia Ward, who works at the Navy Yard, describing how she first heard the gunfire while having breakfast at the headquarters building. Response: Police tactical units leave after responding to a shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC, September 16, 2013 Armed: Police respond to the report of a shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC, September 16, 2013. A gunman shot and wounded at least one person Monday in a headquarters building at the US Navy Yard in Washington A few seconds later, Ward said she heard four more gunshots. Security guards rushed in and got people out as fast as they could – ''Run, run, run, 'they told people,' Ward told reporters. Witnesses described a gunman opening fire from the fourth floor, aiming down on people in the first-floor cafeteria. Others said a gunman fired at them in a third-floor hallway. As witnesses emerged from the building, a helicopter hovered overhead, schools were on lockdown and airplanes at nearby Reagan National Airport were briefly grounded. Security was beefed up at the Capitol, but officials said there was no known threat there. About 3,000 people work at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters, which builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and combat systems. Todd Brundidge, an executive assistant with Navy Sea Systems Command, said he and other co-workers encountered a gunman in a long hallway of their building on the third floor. The gunman was wearing all blue, he said. 'He just turned and started firing,' Brundidge said. Terrie Durham, an executive assistant with the same agency, said she also saw the gunman firing toward her and Brundridge. Mass Emergency Response: A general view shows police and first responder activity on M Street, SE near the Washington Navy Yard on September 16, 2013 in Washington, DC Heavy Vehicle: Police respond to the report of a shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC as a gunman shot and wounded at least one person Monday in a headquarters building at the US Navy Yard in Washington Search: Law enforcement officers are deployed on a rooftop as they respond to a shooting on the base at the Navy Yard in Washington, September 16, 2013 Grief: Obama described the victims of the shootings as 'patriots' as he offered support to those affected by the DC naval yard shooting on Monday

A Park Police helicopter patrols over the Navy Yard as it was reported that the two shooters involved in the attack are 'down' Rapid response: Hundreds of FBI and law enforcement officers flooded the scene at the Naval Yard in the capital Emergency personnel respond to a reported shooting at the Washington Navy Yard where at least ten people have been shot, four killed Search: A police helicopter flies overhead as police walk on the roof of a building as they respond to a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington September 16, 2013 Two DC Metro Police officers put their gear up as they respond to a reported shooting at an entrance to the Washington Navy Yard September 16, 2013 in Washington, DC



Reaction: Police work the scene on M Street, SE in Washington near the Washington Navy Yard on Monday 'He aimed high and missed,' she said. 'He said nothing. As soon as I realized he was shooting, we just said, "Get out of the building."' Rick Mason, a program management analyst who is a civilian with the U.S. Navy, said a gunman was shooting from a fourth floor overlook in the hallway outside his office. He said the Alexis was aiming down at people in the building's cafeteria on the first floor. Mason said he could hear the shots but could not see a gunman. Shortly after the gunfire, Mason said someone on an overhead speaker told workers to seek shelter and later to head for the gates at the complex. Flights were grounded at Washington Reagan National Airport on Monday during the attacks at the Naval Yard

Shooting: The Main Gate into the Washington Navy Yard lies at the juncture of the Eighth Street axis and M Street in Southeast Washington

DC Fire EMS units are on the scene. Fire officials say there are victims, but there is no confirmation of numbers yet