Title: EP. 188: TEXAS - The Ft. Hood Mass Shooting: A Terrorist Attack From The Inside (Pt. 2)
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Warning. The following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children. This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

In last week's episode, we talked about the life of Nadal Hassan, a man who was born and raised in Arlington, Virginia. Nadal had a pretty normal upbringing. His parents, who were Palestinian immigrants, moved to the U.S. in the 1960s and opened up several businesses,

They worked hard to live out the American dream and they had a lot of respect for our country. So much so after high school, Nadal decided to join the United States Army while also earning his college degree. But it's also around this time when he started leaning more into his religion of Islam and he was soon faced with a conflict of interest. In the early 2000s after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States entered into war with Iraq.

And at the time, Nadal felt like he was fighting in a war against his own people, and this would only cause him to grow more and more radicalized. He even started chatting with a man named Anwar al-Awlaki, who had ties to Al-Qaeda. And while all of this was happening, Nadal was serving as a psychiatrist in the United States Army. Unbeknownst to everyone, Nadal Hassan did not have the Army's best interest at heart. By day,

He was counseling soldiers with PTSD, but by night, he began planning attack against the very soldiers he vowed to help. So this is the story of the Fort Hood Massacre. I'm Courtney Browen. And I'm Colin Browen. And you're listening to Murder in America. ♪♪

It's Thursday, November 5th, 2009 in Killeen, Texas. And within this town is a military base called Fort Hood. On this day in particular, over 300 soldiers were crowded inside the base's soldier readiness processing center.

Typically, before a soldier gets deployed, they'll go here to ensure that everything is ready for deployment. The center has a number of services like dental and eye exams, hearing tests, vaccinations, and physicals. They even help you set up your wills and life insurance, just in case you're killed in the line of duty.

Given that the United States was in the middle of war with Iraq, a number of these soldiers were just days away from deployment. And as they sat waiting for their name to be called, many were nervous. Of course, this is what they signed up to do, but what would it be like in the Middle East?

Would they have to witness terror and bloodshed? Would they lose fellow soldiers? Would they come back with PTSD? Or would they even come back at all? These are very real thoughts that went through the soldier's mind at the time. After all, many that came back from Iraq recounted horror stories of what they went through. But even with the potential dangers ahead of them, the hundreds of soldiers within this processing center

"We're ready to fight for our country." One of the most honorable things someone can do. However, unbeknownst to them, some would never even make it to deployment.

Because the real danger was coming right towards them within their own military base. And sadly, this person was a wolf in sheep's clothing. He was one of their own." As Nidal Hasan made his way over to Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Processing Center, many people inside described it as a normal day. But it was particularly busy that day. Nearly every seat in the waiting room was filled.

One by one, the staff would call the name of a soldier and they would make their way to the back for an exam. At around 1:25 PM, 44-year-old Staff Sergeant Paul Martin walked through the doors and scanned the waiting room for an open seat where he could finish his endless stack of paperwork. He had already gone through most of the medical examinations, but he still had a few more pages of paperwork to fill out before he could be cleared for deployment to Iraq.

Luckily, Paul spotted an open seat in the fourth row where he could sit down and complete the forms. So, Paul shuffled past a row of people and sat down, completely lost in his own thoughts. The room was mostly quiet, with only the sound of shuffling papers and the low hum of conversation.

When Nidal Hasan walked into the building that day, he didn't immediately make his presence known. In fact, with everything going on, no one really noticed him at all. Instead of walking up to the front desk to check in, Nidal took a seat in a folding chair near the back of the room with guns and ammunition tucked within his clothing

Nadal used this opportunity to scan the room, and I can assume he was looking for any threats. Now weapons were actually prohibited from this processing center, which is exactly why he chose this location, but he wanted to make sure. As he scanned the crowd, he looked at several faces, some of whom were probably familiar. After all, he was a psychiatrist on the base.

Some people in the room might have even shared their deepest darkest secrets with him, but that didn't matter. Nidal Hasan was on a mission and that mission was to indiscriminately kill as many soldiers as he could inside that room, all in the name of his religion. After about five minutes of sitting in that chair, he finally stood up and made his way towards the front desk. Behind it was an employee named Latoya Williams. He then tells her

"Major Parrish needs to see you immediately. It's an emergency." Latoya Williams was caught off guard, as anyone would be in this situation. As she processed what the man in front of her was saying, she noticed the name "Hassan" embroidered on his army fatigues.

There was also a mark that indicated that he was a major, which meant he was pretty high up in the ranks, someone that could technically give her orders. So from here, Latoya gets up out of her office chair and she makes her way over to Major Parrish's office. Once she left, Nadal Hassan stepped behind the desk, bowed his head in prayer, and screamed out, -"Allahu Akbar!"

The soldiers around the room all lifted their heads to see Major Nadal Hassan holding an FN-57 pistol. And before they even had time to react,

a number of bullets were fired in their direction. The sound of gunfire quickly filled the room as everyone began frantically scrambling to safety. But unfortunately, the gunman had positioned himself where he had a full view of the two exits. People inside would later say that he sprayed the crowd in a fan-like motion, going back and forth with his gun, killing people as they ran towards the exits.

the 44 year old staff sergeant paul martin who we mentioned earlier said that when the shots first rang out he thought it was some sick kind of prank he even thought that someone had been shooting a paintball gun but then he felt a sharp pain in his arm a pain way stronger than anything he had felt before instinctively he grabbed his arm when he looked down he could see blood oozing between his fingers and it was at that moment when he realized he had been shot paul was sitting in the fourth row so he was actually one of the first people shot

And he knew right then that he needed to think quickly if he wanted to make it out alive. After dropping to the ground, Paul closed his eyes and he played dead. - Within those first few seconds of gunfire, chaos erupted within the room. Blood quickly filled the floors. Some people ran, some hid or played dead. And heroically, some service members even began to tend to the wounded.

Staff Sergeant Paul Martin said that at some point he heard the gunman eject his magazine and quickly load up another one, a distinctive clicking noise that everyone in the room knew all too well. Soon enough, red and green laser lights on the semi-automatic pistol swept over the room as the shooter continued to fire in rapid succession.

After several minutes, Staff Sergeant Paul Martin knew that if he was going to survive this, he needed to get out of there. So with adrenaline pumping through his body, he got up and ran as fast as he possibly could. But just as he approached the door,

He felt another sharp pain in his back, this one even more intense than the first. Paul quickly dropped to the ground, unable to walk. From here, he army crawled on the floor, leaving a crimson red trail behind.

Along the way, he would feel two more bullets enter his body, another one in his back and one in his leg. In total, Paul had been shot four times, but somehow he finally made it outside to safety. Luckily, Staff Sergeant Paul Martin would survive his injuries. Following the massacre, he would undergo two surgeries, one where a vein from his leg had to be put in his arm. He was considered one of the lucky ones for lack of a better word.

but sadly that wasn't the case for everyone. Private First Class Cam Xiong had arrived at the processing center that afternoon to get his physical. He was set to leave for Iraq in just a few short months and he wanted to make sure everything was squared away. As he waited in the long line, his wife texted him telling him to come home for lunch

and to just get his physical later. But he responded back, quote, "No, I'll stay. It's almost my turn." Seconds later, Cam struck up a conversation with another private waiting in line named Lance. Lance would later say that when the shots rang out, both he and Cam dove to the floor. But when he looked over, he noticed that Cam was dead.

As a little background, Kam Jong was originally born in Thailand, but he came to America when he was just a few years old. Growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota, Kam always knew that he wanted to join the military. After all, he came from a military family. According to Find a Grave,

his dad and grandpa fought bravely against the vietnamese communist forces with the support of the cia in laos during the vietnam war as a result of these actions they were forced to flee their homeland after u.s military forces withdrew from southeast asia in 1975. cam came to the u.s as a toddler but even at a young age he realized the commitment and sacrifices that his father and grandfather had made for their families and their people

Growing up, Cam told his father and grandfather about his desire to follow in their footsteps and serve his country. And that's exactly what he would do. After high school graduation, Cam married his high school sweetheart, and the two would have three kids together. He and his family had been living in Killeen for the past five months, as he was prepared for his deployment to Iraq. According to Find a Grave, Cam saw the military as a way to give back to his country.

to help his family have a better life, and to continue the legacy and tradition that started with his beloved father and grandfather's commitment to freedom. Any short-term suffering and separation from his family would be offset by the numerous opportunities that would open up as a result of his military service. Sadly, Cam will not be able to capitalize on any opportunities that the military has for him, he will not be able to help his family like he wished,

he will not be able to hear his friends and families tell him how proud they are of him cam was tragically killed doing the only thing he knew helping others without regards to his own situation or safety he embraced his responsibilities to his family his people and his country few people would do the same thing under the same circumstances cam showed the world through his actions what his beliefs and values are

Another person inside the Soldier Readiness Processing Center that day was Staff Sergeant Patrick Ziegler. He had just come home after his second deployment to Iraq, and he was just seconds away from getting cleared for Officer Candidate School. When the shots first rang out,

Patrick originally thought it was some sort of training exercise, but then he saw a green laser flash across his eyes, followed by a huge blow to his head. Patrick would later say that it felt like someone had hit him in the face with a metal baseball bat. He quickly hit the ground, and when he lifted his hand to the right side of his face, he felt pieces of it missing. Using the last bit of energy he had,

Patrick began crawling towards the exit. Along the way, he noticed his own blood pooling beneath him. The last memory Patrick has is reaching out towards the leg of a chair. He was hoping that he could use it to pull himself closer to the door, but instead of inching closer to the door, the chair just pulled towards him. Then Patrick says he passed out. He was also shot three more times in the shoulder, arm and hip,

but surprisingly he would survive. To this day, no one really knows how he got out of the building. A medic would later recall that he found Patrick barely conscious, begging for someone to give him a phone so he could call his fiance Jessica.

Staff Sergeant Patrick Ziegler was later rushed to the hospital where he would undergo one of several brain surgeries. And during this one, they had to remove part of his brain. Patrick would suffer from his injuries for years after the shooting. He would later say, "After every brain surgery, I'd be set back to the point where I'd have to relearn. I've had to relearn how to walk four times."

Sadly, Patrick also had to give up on his dream of becoming an officer. He would later say: "I went through the complicated steps to re-enlist while I was a wounded warrior, in the hopes that I would be able to reclassify or something like that. But it looks like I'll be medically retiring once my medical boards are complete.

But Patrick was, at the end of the day, grateful that he made it out alive that day, as many others didn't. The following year, he was also able to marry his wife Jessica. The wedding was actually set up by the show Extreme Makeover Home Edition, and despite doctors telling him that he may never have children, the two would go on to have a son named Liam.

Back inside the SRP center, the gunmen continued firing at soldiers, many of whom had gone to war before. These soldiers would later say that the building looked just like a combat zone. There was gunfire, blood, bodies covering the floor, gun smoke filling the room, and an enemy trying to kill as many people as possible without weapons of their own.

the soldiers did what they could to keep themselves alive. Some reportedly began throwing chairs and tables at the gunmen. Others were putting their lives in danger trying to save the wounded. But one man, US Army Reserve Captain John P. Gaffney, decided that he was going to try and put a stop to this once and for all. Without giving it a second thought, he charged at the gunmen, but sadly, he was almost immediately shot and killed.

56-year-old Captain John Gaffney grew up in Williston, North Dakota, and he later joined the Navy. But eventually, he would move to San Diego, California, where he worked for the National Guard, while also earning his nursing degree. After serving his country for over 20 years, John would leave the military to work as a supervisor for Adult Protective Services. His job was to help disabled adults and the elderly recover.

who suffered from financial, mental, and emotional abuse. Clearly, John had a huge heart for others. But after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he felt a longing in his heart to serve his country again, especially when he learned that psychiatric services were needed in the Middle East.

So 56-year-old Captain John Gaffney made the heroic decision to reenlist. He had actually just arrived at Fort Hood a few days prior so he could prepare for deployment to Iraq. But he never knew that he would die before he ever even got there. After the shooting, his wife Christine told reporters that she'll never forget the day that she got that knock on her door. The knock that all military families dread. According to the website TravisMagnon.org,

John was always trying to find ways to show his love and make his loved ones feel special. On the first Valentine's Day as a married man, John wanted to do something special for his wife, Christine, who just had foot surgery. Although John was not a cook, he took the time to make Christine heart-shaped hamburgers. It meant so much to Christine that John took the time to try and cook and make something so special for her that it became a tradition for the two of them. John Paul Gaffney was the kindest man on earth.

John put a lot of value on his personal relationships, particularly with his family and close friends. He was always trying to find ways to show his love and make his loved ones feel special. Sadly, despite his heroism that day, Captain John P. Gaffney was unable to take down the gunman, and from there, more people would lose their lives. Before the shooting started, Specialist Mick Enginall had been at the SRP Center with his friend,

Specialist Jonathan Sims. The two took a seat in the waiting room and began chatting while they waited for their names to be called. Mick was just days away from getting married and he was just a few months away from getting deployed to Iraq. Sadly, he wasn't even supposed to be there that morning. He was actually supposed to be at the shooting range with his platoon, but as luck would have it,

Their guns had been improperly assembled, so their commander told them to just finish up their deployment paperwork instead. So Mick and his friend Jonathan Sims did just that. But before they knew it, bullets were being fired all around them. Their training taught them to drop to the ground, and as they did, they began looking for a way out. However, Mick would later recall that there was no way out.

saying, "You've heard of shooting fish in a barrel. He had both exits covered." While lying on the ground, Mick saw a bright flash. He didn't realize it at the time, but a bullet had entered his back. Another one was shot into his neck, severing an artery. That bullet then ricocheted all the way down into his shoulder. Soon enough, blood began spraying from his neck wound.

When he looked over, his friend, Specialist Jonathan Sims had been shot as well. Jonathan would later say that he felt an immense amount of pressure in his back, but his friend Mick was profusely bleeding from his neck, so he helped put pressure on his wound. They did this, bullets were still flying all around.

So it's here where Jonathan grabs a nearby table and he pulls it over them. Surprisingly, seconds later, the gunman actually walks over to them and stands on top of the table, I guess to get a better view of who he was shooting. Jonathan and Mick would later say that they could feel the weight of the gunman standing on top of them.

and all they could do in that moment was lay still. While under the table, Jonathan looked out and saw a female soldier he had just spoken to. It was 21-year-old Francesca Valles. Francesca had actually taken a seat next to Mick and Jonathan at the SRP Center, and during their brief conversation, she told them that she was pregnant.

Sadly, when the shots rang out that afternoon, Francesca had been shot, and while bleeding out on the ground, curled up in a fetal position, Jonathan and Mick heard her scream out, "My baby, my baby." Eventually, Jonathan and Mick would make it out alive, but not Francesca. Horrifically, upon hearing her screams, the gunman casually walked over to her as she begged for her life and the life of her unborn child.

but he had no remorse. The shooter then aimed his weapon at her and fired multiple times into Francesca's body. One of the last things that Jonathan and Mick saw before running to safety was Francesca's eyes rolling into the back of her head.

Francesca Valas grew up in Chicago and her family said she could always be seen laughing, smiling and dancing. Growing up she loved to salsa dance and would later join her school's dance team. She had such a cheerful spirit she even worked for free as a clown for children's birthday parties.

Her father would later say, "She was a woman that was very happy. Her laugh, her smile, her kindness. She was beautiful." She also had dreams of joining the military. Her father, Juan, who was a Colombian immigrant, had moved to the United States in the 1970s. And he always wanted to enlist, but he didn't meet the requirements. So Francesca vowed to carry this dream for him.

She had actually been deployed to Iraq earlier that year, but while there, she got pregnant, so she came home early. She had only been in Killeen, Texas for three days. At the time, she was two months pregnant, and she was really excited for her parents to meet her boyfriend, whom she had met during deployment. Sadly, both Francesca and her child would die that day.

when her family heard the news they were devastated their biggest fears had come true of course as a parent they were so proud of francesca for serving her country but they also worried about her her family recalled feeling a little relieved when they found out she was pregnant because they knew she would come home from iraq and be safe

Little did they know, coming home would put her in direct danger. Her father would later tell reporters through sobs, "What I don't understand is how this demented man could do this. How could she die at the hands of her own people? That's what I don't understand. I don't understand and I will never understand."

Around the SRP center, soldiers were under desks. Others were tucked in the small alcoves. When they were able to find a spot where the gunmen couldn't see them, many ripped up their clothing and began making tourniquets for the wounded. Some were performing CPR. And during it all, the gunmen continued shooting people around the

But interestingly, he was only shooting at soldiers. In the SRP center, there were a mix of soldiers and regular civilians, but he was only killing people in uniform. When the shots rang out that day, a group of five civilians took cover under a nearby table. And eventually they heard the sounds of gunfire getting closer. They all began praying for their lives. To their horror, they soon saw the gunmen walking towards them.

Their bodies tensed up, preparing themselves for what was to come. The next thing they knew, they saw the shooter crouch down and look right at them. The laser of his gun swept across their faces. But surprisingly, instead of killing them, he stood up and walked away. You see, for the gunman, this attack was personal. The message he was trying to get across was that US soldiers were the enemy, so he spared the civilians lives.

Well, most of them. The one civilian to die in the Fort Hood massacre was 62-year-old Dr. Michael Cahill. When the shots rang out that day, he decided he was going to try and take down the gunmen. His daughter would later say that her dad always talked to her about what to do in a mass shooting. With the prevalence of them these days, he wanted to make sure she was prepared.

But something he mentioned to her was that if he were to ever be in one, he would charge at the shooter. And on this day, that's exactly what he would do. After grabbing a folding chair as a shield,

Dr. Michael Cahill held it in front of his chest and charged at him. He knew that he might lose his life in the process, but that was a risk he was willing to take. But sadly, upon seeing him coming, the gunman pointed his gun towards him and shot him down.

Dr. Michael Cahill grew up in Spokane, Washington. After high school, he joined the 161st Unit National Guard while also going to school. Eventually, he would meet his wife, Jolene, and the two would go on to have three children. Mike's career as a physician's assistant took him all around the U.S., but in 1997, he would move to Temple, Texas, where he was eventually offered a job at the Soldier Readiness Center to help soldiers go through medical checks before deployment. His

His family said that he absolutely loved his job. So much so, he traveled over 120 miles to work every single day. At the time of the shooting, Dr. Cahill had actually just returned back to work after taking a much needed break.

You see, he had just suffered a heart attack, and sadly he would survive it, only to be shot down and killed at work. But Mike's bravery wouldn't go unnoticed. He was posthumously awarded the Secretary of the Army Award for Valor. Now, normally civilians can't win this award, but for him, they made an exception. His daughter would later say: "He did that day what he did every day. He protected the safety and well-being of his soldiers, parents, and coworkers, no matter what the cost."

Dr. Cahill was remembered for his love of books and old movies. An old coworker would write on his obituary. He had a great sense of humor and mild manner, both of which were calming to soldiers going into the combat zone and those who had recently returned. He spent a lifetime in the service of soldiers and enhanced the health and welfare of numerous individuals who, unknowingly, will bear the legacy he established.

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There were many heroes inside the SRP Center that day. Army Reserve Specialist Logan Burnett was another soldier who charged at the gunman. And like the others, he was quickly shot. Luckily for him, however, he would survive. After getting shot in the hip,

Logan crawled to a nearby cubicle as the gunman shot others in the room. One of these people was Sergeant Alonzo Lunsford. Horrifically, when the shooting started, he jumped up to run to safety, but soon enough he found himself face to face with the shooter. And to his surprise, he knew exactly who the gunman was. In fact,

Alonzo had actually gotten into an argument with Nidal Hasan about a month prior about a patient who needed to go to the psych ward. At that moment, Alonzo Lunsford knew that he was about to die and the gunman had every intention of killing him. He even pointed his gun directly at Alonzo's head and pulled the trigger. He would later say, quote, the red laser went right across my line of sight. I blinked.

He discharged the weapon. The first round went in above my left eye, so the impact caused me to spin around." End quote.

Once Alonso fell to the ground, the shooter fired more rounds into his chest, back, and abdomen. And it's here where he plays dead on the ground. But Alonso could still hear everything going on around him. He would later say, quote, "He was walking and shooting at the same time. It wasn't a rapid fire that he was doing. It was a methodical slow fire because he was counting his rounds."

I could hear the shell casings hitting the floor. Now surprisingly, after being shot seven times, Alonso would make it out alive. However, the same couldn't be said for 52-year-old Major Labardo Caraveo. As the gunman indiscriminately shot at soldiers, Major Caraveo would get hit.

and sadly he would lose his life. Originally born in Juarez, Mexico, Labardo came from an impoverished family. He was the youngest of seven children. During his teenage years, his family moved to El Paso in search of a better life. However,

It wasn't an easy transition. His family was poor and they didn't speak English. So Labardo had to work hard to fit in. One of his childhood friends named Felix would later say that there was a moment in Labardo's younger years that really shaped him. He was in the sixth grade

He had just moved to America and one of his teachers called on him to answer a question. However, Labardo couldn't understand what the teacher was saying and all of the kids in class started laughing at him and calling him stupid. Labardo was clearly humiliated, but he used this experience as fuel to work hard

and succeed. Felix said, quote, more than anything, he had this hunger to learn and he was never satisfied. The obstacles for him became more like challenges, end quote. After high school, Labardo would go off to college. He worked tirelessly to get scholarships.

And with the help of financial aid and work study programs, he was able to pay for his school, but he barely scraped by. His friend Felix later recalled that the two put all of the extra change they had together just so they could afford to buy some French fries.

and they sat together for hours, eating one single fry at a time, chatting about the life they had ahead of them. Luckily, Labardo's hard work would pay off. He would earn his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at El Paso, and then from there, he would go on to get his master's degree in psychology at Texas Tech and a PhD in psychology from the University of Arizona. After a schooling, Labardo got a job as a psychologist

and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and he was very good at his job. He would later earn the Norman A. Carlson Award due to his excellence in working with mentally ill inmates. A psychiatrist he once worked with said, "I can just see him, his demeanor with the really distressed inmates who had very limited coping skills. He could connect with them and help make their world a little better."

Now, Labardo worked in this field for nearly 10 years before he decided to join the Army Reserve in 2000. But one thing to know about him is that he was always pushing himself to learn. During his time at the Army Reserve, he also started a clinical psychopharmacology program at New Mexico State University. The college was nearly five hours away from where he lived.

but rain or shine, he showed up to class every time. The program's director would later say that one day, Labardo pulled into the parking lot and his car was completely falling apart. Apparently, he had gotten into an accident and his car was barely even drivable, but he made it to class anyways. Several students even suggested that he go to the hospital because he looked pretty banged up, but he refused.

And later that night, the director received an email from him saying that he had fractured his hip

and the accident. And that was the kind of person Labardo was. No matter what was going on in his life, he always showed up and gave it his all. Now during his time in the Army Reserve, Labardo continued to have a lasting impact on the people around him. One soldier would later say, quote, "If you were having a bad day, Major Caraveo would come up to you and you weren't going to have a bad day anymore."

Then in 2009, he decided to join the Combat Operational Stress Control Detachment. His unit was set to leave for Afghanistan that December. And while there, he would work with soldiers who were dealing with the mental stress of the war. Labardo had just arrived at Fort Hood the day before to finish up the paperwork for his deployment.

Following his death, his family said that they will remember him as a charismatic, determined, and successful man who helped and inspired those around him. His fellow soldiers said that his death, quote, is a loss of magnitude that I can't even quantify, end quote.

Back inside the SRP center, the gunman continued firing at people all around him. Staff Sergeant Tuan Nguyen said that when the shots first rang out, he thought it was a drill, but then he saw the blood, the overwhelming amount of blood that began to cover the floors. Tuan later said that he dropped to the ground and attempted to crawl to safety, but he suddenly saw the flash of a red laser, followed by a sharp pain in his upper left thigh.

He had been shot, but luckily he was able to crawl to a nearby cubicle. However, from this position, he watched as several other soldiers were shot. Right next to him, Specialist Kiara Bono was shot in the head. Twan would later recall that he saw spurts of blood coming out of her head wound. Surprisingly, Kiara would make it out alive, but she would face a lifetime of issues due to her injury. Another nearby soldier who was shot was Specialist Dana Roscoe Ferguson.

When the shooting first started, she dropped to the ground and kept quiet, hoping that the shooter wouldn't see her. But soon enough, he approached and towered over her as she laid on the ground. Horrifically, he aimed the gun right at her face. Hoping to shield her head, Dana put her arms over her face as the gunman fired several shots. Luckily, she didn't suffer from any head wounds, but she was shot twice in the arm and once in the leg. Dana would end up surviving the shooting, unlike countless others.

Now, survivors Dana Ferguson and Sergeant Tuan Nguyen were shot close by one another towards the back near the cubicles. And horrifically, as they hid from the shooter, they could hear the screams of a fellow soldier. It was 55-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Juanita Warman. At that moment, Juanita yelled out that she had been shot.

She needed help, but with the gunman still walking around killing people, no one could help her. And eventually, Juanita knew that she wasn't going to make it out alive. Sadly, as she lay there bleeding out, she yelled, quote, "'Please tell my family I love them.'"

Now Juanita would actually make it out of the center alive, but later that day she would succumb to her injuries. Lieutenant Colonel Juanita Warman came from a military family, so she always knew she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps. And she would. Juanita served in the army for 25 years. She was a psychiatric nurse practitioner, and she helped create a PTSD program for veterans

that help them transition into everyday life, which is so incredible.

And Juanita helped with all veterans, but her specialty was with females. Through her 25 years of work, she believed that female veterans' PTSD was different from males. The Army's website says that Juanita was "a warrior with a nurse's heart." Filled with compassion for her fellow service members, she went where the action was to care for them in battle and beyond.

Witnesses in the SRP center said that when the shots rang out that day, Juanita pushed another soldier to the ground. That soldier would ultimately survive, but tragically, Juanita wouldn't. Like many others, Juanita was just days away from being deployed to Iraq. Colonel Sam Wagner would later say, "Juanita Warman was prepared to sacrifice her life for her country. She was not expecting to get killed in Fort Hood."

Now, like we mentioned, most of the victims were in the waiting room of the SRP center, but soon enough, there was no one left to shoot out there. So the gunman then made his way towards the back offices, where people had been getting examinations.

A man named Marquess Smith had gone there that afternoon to get an allergy shot. Before the shooting started, he had just been called into the back offices when he and the clerk he was with heard the shots. Instinctively, he grabbed her arm and they took cover under a nearby desk. Neither of them knew exactly what was going on. And when the sounds of gunfire finally paused, Marquess decided to peek his head out to see what happened. However, that image would haunt him for the rest of his life.

All around the room, bodies covered the floors. There was more blood than he had ever seen in his life, and the wounded were screaming. However, there were still people trying to take the gunman down, one being Specialist Frederick Green.

When the shooting started, Frederick watched some of his friends die right in front of him and that's when his training kicked in. Based on witness accounts, Frederick locked eyes with the gunman. In return, the shooter aimed his gun right at him. But in an act of bravery, Frederick decided to charge at him. At first, he ran in a zigzag pattern to avoid getting shot.

Then, once he got closer, he just started running at full speed. Sadly, the gunman then emptied his magazine into Frederick's body, killing him instantly. He would later be found riddled with 12 bullets.

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Specialist Frederick Green was just 29 years old. He was described by others as a quiet and intelligent man who deeply cared for the people in his life. Growing up in East Tennessee, Frederick sang for his church's choir, and he spent a lot of time reading the Bible. His family would later say that as a young boy, he was constantly playing with army men, and he knew from a young age that that's exactly what he would be when he grew up.

In 2008, he finally fulfilled that dream and joined the army. In his free time, Frederick loved to read, play Dungeons and Dragons, and spend time with his wife and two kids.

His mother said that he'll be remembered as a kind, gentle and humble man, a dedicated soldier and a wonderful son. The world has lost an amazing hero, and a true hero he was. Following the shooting, the army would also recognize his bravery that day. General Edward Daly would say: "Today we remember his active courage that prevented an even greater tragedy from unfolding that day. He took heroic actions to charge the shooter during that terrorist attack. We will never forget his sacrifice that day."

Back inside the SRP center, the gunman had only been shooting for about eight minutes. Eight minutes doesn't seem like a very long time, but for the people inside, it felt like an eternity. One witness said, quote, "I was just watching him shoot, and at this time, the room was filled with gun smoke, and I see the weapon that he had. He had a green light and a red laser, and it's going through the haze, and the gunfire just continued to go off."

He just kind of walked back and forth. He was just shooting for what felt like an eternity.

End quote. And with screams and chaos filling the room, the shooter wasn't finished with his rampage. Witnesses said that as they hid in their hiding spots, they could hear him reloading his gun time and time again. All the while, they couldn't help but wonder when help would finally arrive. But sadly, more people were about to be shot. Private First Class Najee Hall said that she made eye contact with the shooter before seeing that laser and getting shot.

which eerily is something that many people recalled from that day. The gunman made eye contact with almost everyone before shooting them. Private First Class Hall said that it was chilling. He looked her in the eyes, shot her twice, and then calmly turned away from her.

From there, she watched as his eyes grazed the room looking for another victim. Eventually, he would find one. Private First Class Aaron Namilka had been on the ground hiding when the shooter walked up and shot him three times. The most serious of his injuries was the shot that landed in between his chest and Adam's apple. Nearby, Specialist Alan Carroll said that once the gunman walked away, he quickly rushed to Namilka's side.

The two were good friends. Aaron was lying on his back with blood pouring out of his wounds, and instinctively, Alan Carroll rolled him over onto his stomach so they could crawl to safety. But horrifically, as he did this, the gunman turned back in their direction and quickly fired off more shots. This time, Aaron Carroll had been hit in his back and leg.

but he was still able to move. Allen would later say that in that moment, he looked up and saw a clear path to an exit, but then he remembered his training that he should never leave a soldier behind. He would later say, quote, "I've been told to never leave a fallen comrade. That's what was going through my mind. I needed to get out, but I needed to get him out with me," end quote.

However, they couldn't get out just then, so instead, Allen laid there with Aaron Namalka and they played dead. Later on, when help finally arrived, Allen would be taken to the hospital where he would survive his injuries. But the same couldn't be said about his friend, Private First Class Aaron Namalka.

19-year-old Aaron Namalka grew up in Utah. Originally, his plan was to do missionary work for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After all, that's what all of his older brothers and sisters did. But as he grew up, he had other plans for his life. He wanted to follow in his grandpa's footsteps and join the army. After enlisting, many of his fellow soldiers called him "Milkman" due to his last name. Everyone said that he had the best sense of humor and deep respect for his country.

which is exactly why he decided to join the military. Aaron also loved his family.

He even got his last name tattooed on his arm in big letters. But they all laughed at him because, upside down, the tattoo looked like it read the name Thomas. His girlfriend Kristen would later say, "He was such an amazing and loving person. Everyone who knew him loved him." At the time of the shooting, Aaron had just completed his training in disarming explosives, and he was set to leave for his first line of duty overseas. Months prior, Aaron had talked to his grandpa Michael about his job. His grandpa said,

I asked him, "It's kind of dangerous, isn't it?" And he said, "No, it's alright, Grandpa." He loved what he was doing. He thought what he was doing was the greatest thing in life. After the shooting, his father would tell reporters, "His mission is completed in this life. He now serves in a higher calling in heaven."

- First Lieutenant Brandy Nicole Mason had been sitting in the waiting room when the shooting first started. When she heard the gunman scream, she thought it was a joke, but then she heard someone yell out, "Get down." Brandy said she immediately dropped to the floor, but when she did, she felt a wetness all over her back. She then went to grab her cell phone from her back pocket, but when she pulled it in front of her, she saw that it was completely covered in blood.

That's when she realized she had been shot. Thinking quickly, Brandy was able to crawl to a nearby table. However, it wasn't big enough to conceal her whole body. But from there, she said, quote, I peeked my head out. And when I peeked out, he had the gun pointed at my head. And I hurried up and I put my head back in. My hip was still out and I felt burning. I couldn't straighten my leg. There was pain there. I laid there, a

"A soldier, he was helping me." Now luckily Brandy would survive, but the shooting would go on for several more minutes. The survivors who were still in the building had learned from experience not to get up and run because if they did, they would quickly be shot in the back. So all they could do was wait.

Staff Sergeant Helen Kennedy had been administering a vaccine to a soldier when the shooting started. Upon hearing the gunshots, she quickly grabbed their hand and they made a run for it towards the back of the building. But soon enough,

shots started flying in their direction. She and the soldier quickly dropped to their hands and knees and began crawling. But seconds later, the body of a soldier fell right on top of her. Helen started crying. She attempted to help them, but everyone behind her pulled her underneath a nearby table. Eventually, when the coast was clear, Helen emerged from the table to help the wounded. One in particular

was 29-year-old Staff Sergeant Amy Kruger, who was barely clinging on to life. Helen would later say, quote, "I was talking to her. She was still breathing. There was blood everywhere. I couldn't tell what was hers. I got her undressed. At the same time, she started seizing and vomiting. I tried to get the vomit out of her mouth, trying to do chest compressions, but I couldn't get her airway cleared.

I said, I need suction, I need suction, but she died. Everyone kept screaming, what can I do, what can I do? I said, I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do, end quote.

29-year-old Staff Sergeant Amy Sue Kruger was born and raised in Wisconsin. After graduating from high school, she attended UW-Sheboygan. But after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, she decided to put her education on hold and enlist in the Army. Her mother would later say that she would jokingly tell her daughter that she wouldn't be able to take down Osama bin Laden by herself, to which Amy would always respond, Watch me.

At the time, Amy was about a month away from her second deployment to Afghanistan. Her first deployment was in 2003. When she came home, she enrolled in school, but then again in 2008, she decided to volunteer for another deployment. Amy had arrived at Fort Hood about a month prior to the shooting, to get everything squared away. That afternoon, she had been at the SRP Center to get shots and an eye exam. Amy's family said that she fiercely loved the people in her life.

She was determined, passionate, and a lot of fun. In her free time, she likes to hang out with friends, shoot pool, play sheep's head volleyball and softball, and she made sure to live every single day to the fullest.

Sergeant First Class Maria Guerrera was in her office that afternoon when the gunman opened fire. Right after, she peeked her head out of her office door. She would later say, quote, "'I started hearing a lot of screams. When I opened the door, it was chaos. Soldiers and civilians were running and screaming, and all I could hear was rapid fire.'"

He was shooting into the crowd at station 13. All I could see was a side profile and I was mainly looking at what he was shooting. I was watching the soldiers being shot. I saw an attachment that was added to the gun because it was much thicker than a 9mm. I was thinking whether I should rush him.

I was too far. I see him reload three times before he started walking my way, and I had to retreat into my office. He reloaded so quickly, so efficiently. There were still soldiers trying to run out the back door, and that's when he started to move towards the back door. It was quiet. I listened for the shots. It sounded as if he was circling the building. The smoke was so thick all you could do was smell the gunfire, the sulfur.

All I saw was soldiers and bodies all over the floor. No one was moving. I ran out to where the first body was. I yelled out, "Is everybody okay?" It was then like a light switch turned on. You could hear, "Help me, help me! I've been shot!"

End quote. Registered nurse, Kimberly Huseman was in her office answering emails when the shots rang out. She heard screaming and popping sounds as a sergeant rushed through her door and slammed it behind him. And with a terrified look on his face, he told Kimberly to call 911. So she did. When the dispatcher answered, Kimberly screamed, quote, "We're inside the building. Oh my God, there's about 15 down. Probably more than that. Oh my God, I don't know who he is."

"He's wearing ACUs." The dispatcher assured her that help was on the way. That afternoon, the Bell County Communications Center would be bombarded with so many phone calls, they couldn't even handle the influx of calls. Eventually, when people started dialing 911, they were met with a busy signal. And before help could arrive, more people would lose their lives, including 51-year-old Captain Russell Gilbert Seeger,

Now, we weren't able to find any details on exactly what happened in Captain Seeger's death, when or even where he was shot within the building, but we do know some details about his life. Born in Sauk County, Wisconsin, Russell didn't grow up always wanting to join the military like so many people in our story. In fact,

He spent his early years going to school earning a BSN and MSN degree from Marquette University College of Nursing. From there, he worked as a nurse practitioner and an instructor at Bryant and Stratton College. However, over the years, he witnessed just how hard it was for veterans to adjust back into normal life.

and he had a particular interest in working with veterans who had PTSD, and he wanted to do something about it. But that meant he'd have to change his entire career path. So at the age of 47, while many are counting down the years until retirement, Russell decided to join the Army Reserve.

as an Army Nurse Corps officer. At the time of the shooting, Russell was scheduled to leave for Afghanistan in less than a month. He had just arrived at Fort Hood for training. His friend Tucker said that whether he was in a uniform or not, Rusty loved helping others.

In his free time, he loved to teach, play tennis, and spend time with his wife and son. His friend Tucker said, "...Rusty was a deeply spiritual man who felt his calling was to help veterans and soldiers. We honor the life and service of Captain Rusty Seeger and trust that his precious memory and inspiring legacy will be carried forward in the lives of his family, his friends, his patients, and his brothers and sisters in arms."

Another person in the back offices was nurse Shemaka Hairston. She had been giving a soldier a vaccination when she heard what sounded like firecrackers in the main room. She would later say, quote, "I tried to peer over the partition, but it was too high and I couldn't see anything. I saw a lot of smoke and the smell. It smelled like ammunition. It smelled like you were in a shooting range.

But at that moment, she knew that this was a mass shooting. So immediately, Shamaka grabbed her phone and dialed 911. When the dispatcher answered, she quickly told them that someone was shooting people at Fort Hood Soldier Readiness Processing Center. Horrifically, in the back of the phone call, the dispatcher could hear screaming, hysterical sobs,

and loud popping noises. Shimaka cried into the phone as the dispatcher asked her questions. She stated, quote, I don't know. A soldier just started shooting. We don't know who he is. Some guy with a weapon just started randomly shooting, end quote. Now, by this point, she was hiding under a desk with a few other nurses and three soldiers, 32-year-old Justin DeCrow, 22-year-old J.D. Hunt,

and 22-year-old Michael Pearson. And then suddenly, the five of them all heard the sound of slow and deliberate footsteps coming in their direction. Eerily, they knew the gunman was coming because a spent shell casing had become stuck in the tread of his shoe. One of the nurses hiding under the desk, Theodore Kakoulis, said that they could hear the clink of the shell casing getting closer. But at that moment,

The three soldiers hiding with them decided to confront the gunmen. Theodore would later say, quote, all three looked directly at the shooter. They were looking at death and they knew it. These kids just stood their ground. They didn't even flinch. They weren't afraid of him, end quote. But sadly,

Like all the others before them, the gunman quickly aimed his gun and released a wave of bullets in their direction. Sergeant First Class Ingard Campbell would later say that when the gunfire stopped, she went to help one of the soldiers who was still alive. It was 32-year-old Justin DeCrow. Ingard did her best to try and revive him, but sadly, he died in her arms.

Staff Sergeant Justin DeCrow grew up in Plymouth, Indiana. After graduating high school in 1996, he went on to marry his high school sweetheart, Mary Kay. Then after that, he went on to pursue his life dream of joining the Army. His wife would later say, "He was

He always wanted to be a soldier. Throughout the years, Justin and Mary Kay would have a daughter while he worked hard as a satellite communications operator/maintainer. His friend Christopher Riley said, "He was a caring instructor, a great non-commissioned officer, and a strong motivator. I don't think he received the recognition he deserved for all that he did. I hope I can be half the NCO he was." Justin had been living at Fort Hood since September and was about to deploy to Iraq.

but according to everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him, he made a lasting impact on their lives. His friend Sheena would later say, "Staff Sergeant DeCrow was a true family man. He was dedicated to his wife, daughter, and the community around him. Despite the long hours that he worked as an instructor/squad leader, he dedicated much of his free time to the Golden Harvest Food Bank and the local 4-H club.

Staff Sergeant DeCrow always gave his all. He loved the military and soldiering. He lived by setting the example and could always be counted on professionally and personally. Another friend of his, Michael Hutchings, said, He was the funniest man I ever met. You couldn't be mad around him. He would walk into a room and everyone just lit up.

Following his death, many of his loved ones wrote to Facebook about the special memories they had of Justin. In response, his wife wrote, Thank you so much for sharing all of your wonderful memories. It is such a comfort to know that he touched so many lives in so many ways. Our daughter Kyla and I appreciate all of the kindness and support that we've received. He truly was one in a million, and we love him so much. His infectious charm and wit always put others at ease. He will be greatly missed.

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Alongside Justin DeCrow, 22-year-old Private First Class Michael Pearson also lost his life. Michael grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. According to Find a Grave, quote, "As a child, he was full of laughter and curiosity. At an early age, his father Jeffrey started teaching Michael how to play guitar. Michael was heavily immersed into his art and music growing up.

and he also participated in martial arts as a hobby since he was a child. Michael began teaching guitar to many of his friends. He was an inspirational role model and a mentor to his many nieces and nephews. Michael had a zest for life and found a friend in everyone he met, a true patriot who loved people and people loved him.

End quote. In the years before 2009, Michael was working at a furniture company, unhappy with his job. His mother, Cheryl, would later tell the Wall Street Journal, quote, "He felt he was in a rut. He wanted to travel, see the world. He also wanted an opportunity to serve the country. So that's when he decided to enlist."

Michael was very excited about his journey in the military. His mom said that she hadn't seen her son in a year because he had been so focused on his training. But just a few weeks before the shooting, he had called her and started making arrangements to come home for Christmas. Their whole family was so excited to reunite. Little did they know that reunion would never come.

The last soldier to lose their life at the SRP Center was 22-year-old specialist Jason Dean Hunt, or JD as his loved ones called him. Jason grew up in Frederick, Oklahoma, and according to everyone that knew him, he was the nice but quiet guy who kept to himself.

In fact, he was even voted most quiet in his 2005 graduating class. Jason's sister Layla would later say that when Jason was in high school they had to dissect a cat and he was so disturbed by it he got his mom to drive up to the school and sign a form to have him exempt from the dissection. But that was just the kind of person Jason was. He didn't feel right cutting up a dead animal.

His grandmother, Kay Smith, said, "He never gave his mother one minute of heartache in his whole school life. He was a good student. He was so embarrassed if someone thought he did something wrong." After graduating high school, Jason decided to join the military. His family said that he thought it would shape him into a man.

At the time of the shooting, he had been in the army for three and a half years, including a deployment to Iraq. And just two months before his passing, Jason would get married to a woman named Jenna. She was living in Oklahoma City, finishing up a class, but she was so excited to move to Fort Hood and start their life together. Jason's sister would later say that at one point,

She was talking to him about the love of a parent and how she would die to protect her child. She continued, "And he told me that he would die for my children in a second too, children that aren't even his." He went on to say that he would die for a complete stranger and would jump in front of a bullet for any of his soldiers." And in the end, that's exactly what Jason would do to protect the nurses that were hiding under the nearby desk.

Jason Hunt, Justin DeCrow, and Michael Pearson all sacrificed their lives for those around them. As the chaos continued inside, Specialist Elliot Valdez, a photographer at Fort Hood, had been outside the Howes Theater setting up equipment for a graduation when he witnessed several people screaming as they rushed out of the S Center. At first, he didn't understand what was happening, but then he saw wounded soldiers lying around.

He would later say,

About 10 minutes into the shooting, base commanders announced a force protection condition, Delta, which is a system used to respond to terrorism against the military. From there, they went on Fort Hood's loudspeaker and told everyone in the area to take cover, get away from windows, lock their doors, and hide. Nearby schools and daycares in Killeen were also put on lockdown. And soon enough, everyone in town learned that a terrorist attack was taking place at Fort Hood.

By this point, it's only been about 10 minutes since the gunman started shooting inside the SRP Center. And upon hearing the announcement, first responders started making their way to the scene. The first police officers to arrive were Sergeant Kimberly Munley and Mark Todd. But Kimberly would get there first.

Now, as for the gunman, after shooting nearly everyone inside the SRP center, he decided to walk near the outside area to see if he could find any more victims. It was reported that he even tried to enter the building next door, but fortunately it was locked.

But by this point, as he was outside in the open, he quickly encountered Sergeant Kimberly Munley, who had just arrived at the scene. Upon seeing him, Kimberly grabbed her 9mm pistol and over the next few seconds the two exchanged gunfire. Bullets were flying all around her. One bullet even hit a nearby rain gutter and the shrapnel injured her hand. Before she knew it, Kimberly felt two sharp pains in her leg.

a bullet had hit her directly in the femur and another one hit her knee. At this point, Officer Mark Todd finally arrived on scene and as he turned the corner, he saw the shooter walking towards Sergeant Kimberly Munley who was on the ground bleeding profusely from her gunshot wounds. Mark quickly yelled out to the shooter in an attempt to distract him from Kimberly and luckily it worked. After Mark yelled,

The gunman pivoted. He then pointed his gun at Mark and fired off several shots. More gunfire ensued. But then suddenly, witnesses watched as the gunman quickly dropped to the ground. He had been shot. Finally, after 10 minutes of terror and bloodshed, the Fort Hood mass shooting had come to an end. After taking down the gunman, Major Steven Richter ran over to him. There was a bullet hole directly in the shooter's chest.

he was lying unconscious in the grass. But just to be safe, he picked up the shooter's gun to move it away from him. He would later say that the barrel was so hot it burned his fingers. But from here, he quickly ripped off the gunman's shirt and shoved his index finger into the gunshot wound to stop the bleeding. At the end of the day, they wanted this man to pay for his actions, which meant that they had to try and keep him alive.

But now that the threat was finally eliminated, first responders could focus on helping the wounded. And there were a lot. Outside of the SRP center, Staff Sergeant Zachary Phillip, a combat medic, had just pulled up to the scene where he found Sergeant Kimberly Munley bleeding from her leg wound. He quickly pulled off his belt and made a tourniquet. That day, Zachary would help treat 20 injured victims.

Sergeant Andrew Hagerman was also there helping the wounded. He would later say, quote, you don't ever expect to see this when you're at home or anything like that. But like I said before, you swear to protect your country against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. So you're trained for either fight, end quote. Now,

Now, like we mentioned, there were several wounded soldiers outside of the SRP center, soldiers who were lucky enough to make it out during the shooting. So everyone at the scene, fellow soldiers and all began helping. One soldier picked up four different men, throwing them all into the back of his pickup and he drove them to the hospital. Many other soldiers began following suit, driving the wounded two miles away to the Carl R. Darnall Medical Center,

But the amount of wounded soldiers outside of the building was nothing in comparison to the amount of soldiers inside. They couldn't believe their eyes. There were bodies everywhere and blood was completely covering the floors. Nurse Theodore Koukoulis would later say, quote, "The amount of blood in the area, it was slippery from the blood."

"It was the most I have ever seen before. I kept slipping. I almost expended as much energy slipping across the floor as I did helping the wounded soldiers." And sadly, as the first responders swept the room, they were looking for signs of life. For most of the bodies they came across,

They were already gone. They knew that there was nothing they could do for them, so they had to get up and move on to the next person. And there's this video I found, I think it's body cam footage, but it shows the immediate aftermath of the SRP center that day. As the officer walks around the room, there is blood everywhere.

and there are soldiers lying all over the ground receiving aid. Every time the officer turns a corner, you see a group of people surrounding a soldier who isn't moving. Several times throughout the video, you see the flash of a head bobbing up and down.

as first responders are performing CPR all around the room. A woman named Jeanette Juroff would later say of the scene, quote, "Every single medic was just going on like it was a movie, like it was scripted. I need a shirt, I need a belt.

Elevate his head. Everybody was helping everybody." In the video I mentioned, you can also see so many of those folding chairs that were in the waiting room. Chairs that had been knocked over as many people tried to run to safety. Some of those chairs were also thrown at the gunman in an attempt to stop him. Also covering the ground, you see debris, shoes, paper, medical kits, and spent shell casings.

all remnants of the chaos that ensued that day. But soon enough,

All 33 of the wounded had been removed from the building and brought to a nearby hospital, but everyone who was left in the room had succumbed to their injuries. Inside of the SRP center were the bodies of 11 people. The total death count was 13, but two would later die in the hospital, all of whom lost their lives in an act of terrorism. - Two miles away at the Darnell Medical Center, hospital staff had not been prepared for the influx of patients they were about to receive.

In fact, when the wounded started to arrive, most of the emergency staff had been outside smoking cigarettes, but they would soon have to spring into action. The Darnell Medical Center was so overwhelmed, Bell County Dispatch had to contact the world-class trauma center in nearby Temple, Texas, called Scott & White Medical Center. And luckily, they immediately sent out their trauma teams to help.

At the hospital, physicians, surgeons, and operating rooms were made ready for the wounded. In fact, Scott and White had decided to close their doors to the public so they could solely focus on the Fort Hood victims. The severely wounded were airlifted in army choppers and taken to Scott and White.

Disturbingly, the shooter himself was a part of this group. Now, many of the people being airlifted were too wounded to be aware of their surroundings, but think about how scary it would be to look over and see the gunman lying next to you in a helicopter.

By this point, the media had caught wind of the mass shooting at Fort Hood and there was a lot of false reporting. Some news stations reported that there had been multiple shooters. Others were reporting that the gunmen had been killed. CNN even released the phone number of the hospital's command center and soon enough,

Their phone system was bombarded with an influx of calls, 1300 in one hour. In the meantime, given that this was a terrorist attack, law enforcement had to make sure there were no other threats. So once the gunman was officially identified, federal agents went to work trying to figure out exactly who Nidal Hasan was and why did he attack the Fort Hood military base. While they started looking into the shooter's background,

The Killeen Police Department, the FBI, Texas Rangers, SWAT teams, the Army's Criminal Investigation Division, and the Bell County Sheriff's Department all descended on the SRP Center crime scene and the gunman's apartment in town to make sure there were no other threats.

Photographs were taken of Nadal's apartment, dumpsters were removed for evidence, and neighbors were questioned. Investigators confiscated several items left behind by Nadal, including a large paper shredder, a white prayer cap, old prescriptions including a 2001 prescription for Combovir, an HIV medication, empty ammunition boxes, an empty laser box, and other items.

At the crime scene, investigators discovered 146 spent shell casings inside, 69 outside, and Nadal had 177 unspent rounds still inside his pockets when he was taken into custody.

As the world was learning of this tragedy, many people who had family members at Fort Hood anxiously held their breaths while waiting to hear the fate of their loved one. Throughout that day, the moderately wounded were able to call their families and ease their worries. But the families of the deceased and the severely wounded didn't get that privilege. All they could do was sit and wait.

And because this is a military base, many of the victims were not local, their families were all over the United States. And slowly but surely, 13 of these families would get that dreaded knock on their front door. The knock letting them know that their loved one wouldn't be coming home. Surprisingly, Nidal Hasan's family was anxiously waiting for that knock as well.

When they first heard the news about the mass shooting at Fort Hood, they were beside themselves with worry. They prayed that Nadal's life was spared and that the gunman didn't kill him. It never even crossed their minds that the gunman was Nadal.

After radio silence for several hours, they were convinced he was a victim. But soon enough, they turned on the news and his face flashed across their screen. And in that moment, their entire world was shattered. Not because of their own loss, but because of the lives that Nadal had taken.

Nadal's aunt, Nawal Hassan, would later tell reporters that Nadal must have snapped because he was never known to be violent or angry. His nephew, Muhammad Hassan, added that the army was partially to blame due to their insensitivity to Islam, saying, "...they don't respect him and there is racism towards him because he's a Muslim."

he's an arab and he prays but for most of nadal's family members they condemned his actions saying they were despicable and deplorable and that they had not been raised to act out in violence his cousin nader hassan was even more shocked as the two had always been close

there had never been any indication that Nadal was violent and in a later documentary he would say that he believed that Nadal was suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness. As for Nadal's one friend, Dwayne Reasoner, he told the BBC that he had no pity for the soldiers who had been instructed to kill Muslims in the Middle East and that he would never condemn Nadal for his actions.

And like we mentioned in part 1, Nadal had been in contact over the years with Anwar al-Awlaki, who has ties to Al-Qaeda and several other terrorists. And after the shooting, Anwar al-Awlaki would write on his blog that Nadal was a hero for what he had done.

He stated, "Working in the American army to kill Muslims is a betrayal to Islam. The American Muslims' loyalty is to the Muslim nation and not to America, and Brother Nidal is proof of that through his blessed operation." He would go on to say, "Nidal Hasan was one of my students and I am proud of that.

"I am proud of Nidal Hasan and this was a heroic and wonderful act." Other radicalized Muslims also praised Nidal for what he had done on various social media sites. And one man even ordered an arrangement of flowers to be delivered to Nidal's hospital room. But as word spread through the Islamic community that one of their own had committed the mass murder, they were swift to condemn his actions through online statements. The Council on American Islamic Relations stated:

We condemn this cowardly attack in the strongest terms possible and ask that the perpetrators be punished to the full extent of the law. No religious or political ideology could ever justify or excuse such wanton and indiscriminate violence. The attack was particularly heinous in that it targeted the all-volunteer army that protects our nation. American Muslims stand with our fellow citizens in offering both prayers for the victims and sincere condolences to the families of those killed or injured.

The morning after the shooting, President Barack Obama released the following message: I'd like to speak with you for a few minutes today about the tragedy that took place at Fort Hood. This past Thursday, on a clear Texas afternoon, an Army psychiatrist walked into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center and began shooting his fellow soldiers. It's an act of violence that would have been heartbreaking had it occurred anyplace in America. It's a crime that would have horrified us had its victims been Americans of any background.

But it's all the more heartbreaking and all the more despicable because of the place where it occurred and the patriots who were its victims. The SRP is where our men and women in uniform go before getting deployed. It's where they get their teeth checked and their medical records updated and make sure everything is in order before getting shipped out. It was in this place, on a base where our soldiers ought to feel most safe,

where those brave Americans who are preparing to risk their lives in defense of our nation lost their lives in a crime against our nation. Soldiers stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world called and emailed loved ones at Fort Hood, all expressing the same stunned reaction: "I'm supposed to be the one in harm's way, not you." Thursday's shooting was one of the most devastating ever committed on an American military base.

And yet even as we saw the worst of human nature on full display, we also saw the best of America. We saw soldiers and civilians alike rushing to the aid of fallen comrades, tearing off bullet-riddled clothes to treat the injured, using blouses as tourniquets, taking down the shooter even as they bore wounds themselves. We saw soldiers bringing to bear on our own soil the skills they had been trained to use abroad.

skills that have been honed through years of determined effort for one purpose and one purpose only: to protect and defend the United States of America. We saw the valor, selflessness, and unity of purpose that makes our servicemen and women the finest fighting force on Earth, that make the United States military the best the world has ever known, and that make all of us proud to be Americans.

On Friday, I met with FBI Director Mueller, Defense Secretary Gates, and representatives of the relevant agencies to discuss their ongoing investigation into what led to this terrible crime. And I'll continue to be in close contact with them as new information comes in. We can't fully know what leads a man to do such a thing. But what we do know is that our thoughts are with every single one of the men and women who were injured at Fort Hood. Our thoughts are with all the families who've lost a loved one in this national tragedy.

and our thoughts are with all the Americans who wear, or have worn, the proud uniform of the United States of America: our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen, and the military families who love and support them. In tribute to those who fell at Fort Hood, I've ordered flags flying over the White House and other federal buildings to be lowered to half-staff from now until Veterans Day next Wednesday.

Veterans Day is our chance to honor those Americans who've served on the battlefields from Lexington to Antietam, Normandy to Manila, Inchon to Quezon, Ramadi to Kandahar. They're Americans of every race, faith, and station. They're Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers. They are descendants of immigrants and immigrants themselves. They reflect the diversity that makes this America. But what they share is a patriotism like no other.

What they share is a commitment to a country that has been tested and proved worthy. What they share is the same unflinching courage, unblinking compassion, and uncommon camaraderie that soldiers and civilians of Fort Hood showed America and showed the world. These are the men and women we honor today. These are the men and women we honor on Veterans Day. And these are the men and women we shall honor every day, in times of war and times of peace, so long as our nation endures.

In the days after the shooting, the United States of America was in a state of mourning. Nearly 50 soldiers had been gunned down at their military base, 13 of whom ultimately lost their lives. However, in these times of grief and worry, our nation did come together to honor the heroes of this story, including the two civilian police officers who helped take the gunmen down.

The director of emergency management services at Fort Hood would later say, quote, "Both Munley and Todd placed themselves at risk to assist in a tragic incident. Had they not acted the way they did, there would have been more loss of life. People went home to their families that night because of them.

End quote. Now, as we mentioned, Mark Todd shot the gunman directly in his chest. And when Adal Hassan woke up from his coma on November 9th, he realized that he was paralyzed from the chest down and had limited mobility in his left arm, but he refused to speak with investigators.

However, they were able to confirm that he had worked alone. And eventually, in the days after the shooting, Nidal Hasan was charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder. But as you can imagine, the public had a lot of questions. Like how did an army psychiatrist

tasked with caring for soldiers, turn around and massacre them. Were there warning signs? Well, after the shooting, the Department of Defense did an extensive investigation and it was here where they revealed that Nidal Hasan had been corresponding with Anwar al-Awlaki, the Islamic extremist with ties to Al-Qaeda. But even more concerning was the fact that the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force knew about these emails.

and they clearly didn't take the correct action. Now, the FBI would later say that they didn't find the emails concerning because they thought Nidal Hasan's emails to al-Awlaki had to do with the research he was doing at the time. Specifically, they said, quote, "Because the content of the communications was explainable by his research and nothing else derogatory was found,

the JTTF concluded that Major Hassan was not involved in terrorist activities or terrorist planning, end quote. But keep in mind, in these emails, Nadal openly expressed how much he idolized this man. He even wrote al-Lawki asking for advice and he donated a lot of money to him. So how the FBI overlooked that and thought it was about research, we don't know.

And something that upset a lot of people was that the Department of Defense labeled this massacre as workplace violence instead of an act of terrorism. But in their investigation, they revealed how unprepared the military was for an internal threat. Some of the key points found were that there had been failures that allowed Nadal to remain undetected, despite multiple warning signs, including his extremist views and correspondence with al-Lawki. It highlighted gaps that failed to recognize and address inside threats.

They suggested stricter protection measures for the military, enhanced security protocols, threat assessments, and how to move forward by recognizing red flags when a service member may be showing signs of radicalization. Ultimately, they made 79 recommendations for improvement: personnel, force protection, information sharing, emergency response, and health affairs.

November 10th, 2009 On that day, the 13 victims of the massacre were honored at a memorial service. On the podium up front were pictures of the deceased, next to 13 pairs of empty military boots, 13 rifles and 13 helmets. President Obama addressed the nation at the memorial service and in part he said:

This is a time of war, yet these Americans did not die on a foreign field of battle. They were killed here on American soil, in the heart of this great state, in the heart of this great American community.

This is the fact that makes the tragedy even more painful, even more incomprehensible. For those families who have lost a loved one, no words can fill the void that's been left. We knew these men and women as soldiers and caregivers. You knew them as mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers. But here is what you must also know. Your loved ones endure through the life of our nation. Their memory will be honored in the places they lived and by the people they touched.

Their life's work is our security and the freedom that we all too often take for granted. Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town, every dawn that a flag is unfurled,

Every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that is their legacy. It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy. But this much we do know: no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts. No just and loving God looks upon them with favor. For what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice, in this world and the next.

And that's exactly what everyone was looking forward to, justice. On April 9th, 2010,

About five months after the shooting, Nadal Hassan was transferred from the hospital to the Bell County Jail. And if convicted, he was facing the death penalty. So his legal team spent the next few weeks trying to get him to understand the errors in his radical Islamic ideology. Essentially, they wanted to de-radicalize him. They even brought in a leader from his mosque.

and a Muslim US Army chaplain to speak with him every single day. And eventually that summer, Nadal finally spoke about the shooting with a reporter in a prison phone call. Here is what he had to say.

I would like to begin by repenting to Almighty Allah and apologize to the muhajideen, the believers and the innocent. I ask for their forgiveness and their prayers. I ask for their forgiveness for participating in the illegal and immoral aggression against Muslims, their religion, and deception of many innocent men, women, and children. As a United States Army psychiatrist, my job was to conserve the fighting strength of military armed forces personnel and by deceit, to win the hearts and minds of Muslims throughout the world.

Using American Muslim soldiers such as myself to help win the hearts and minds of native and desperate Muslims around the world is a powerful strategy indeed. I saw and heard how we would give money to Muslim politicians and support projects like the building of schools and mosques so we could ultimately dictate what is said, read, and done. And I am too ashamed to even mention the clandestine and covert operations that have already occurred or are still in progress about the Muslim world.

My complicity was on behalf of a government that openly acknowledges that it would hate for the law of Almighty Allah to be the supreme law of the land. I would like to thank those champions of Islam for awakening me from my slumber, for educating and inspiring me for trying to establish the law of Almighty Allah as supreme for future generations, and for serving as role models on how Muslims should stand up against tyranny and oppression. These champions of Islam, or the Mujahideen, they are spread out across the globe in Afghanistan.

Iraq, Pakistan, and other parts of the world. Ask Almighty Allah to unite the believers as one solid fighting structure and not allow the enemies of His plan divide us.

Throughout his time in jail, Nadal seemed to have gone back and forth on whether or not he supported his actions that day. On some days, he showed zero remorse. Then on other days, it was reported that he fasted for each of the victims. He said that he did this just in case he misinterpreted his mission that day. And if that was the case, he didn't want to be punished in the afterlife, so he thought fasting would help.

Interestingly, Nadal also fired his high profile attorney, John Galligan. He said it was because he wanted to be represented by military lawyers from the Army Trial Defense Service. But on July 20th, 2010, he was arraigned in the courtroom without his defense attorney present.

Now in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the chest down, Nadal wheeled himself into the courtroom wearing a camouflage army uniform. He then stood in front of the judge and opted not to enter a plea. And it was here where his trial was set for March 5th, 2012. Now, before that day would come, Nadal wrote several lengthy statements that he wanted to read in court with his reasoning behind the attack.

First, he stated that he had wanted to help the Mujahideen against the enemies of Islam, but had a dilemma with breaking an oath he took to defend the United States. Apparently, in Islam, the breaking of a contract or oath is a sin, but he believed that the violence had been just since he was doing it in the name of Allah to protect Islam and Muslims. Nadal wrote, To the court and members of this panel,

Thank you for providing this opportunity so that I may address you as well as family and friends of those who died and were injured on November 5th, 2009. I understand that many of you may turn away from me in anger because of my actions. I recognize that nothing I can do or say will ever fully restore your losses, erase your agony, or ease your despair, all of which I have brought upon you. But I ask you to listen attentively because it's important for you to understand my actions and specifically why I am making an apology.

"On November 5th, 2009, I committed an act in an attempt to defend my religion. The US is engaged in a war against Islam and as multiple surveys affirm, this belief is not particular to me, but shared by a majority of Muslims worldwide. I am an American, but God commands me to be Muslim first and foremost."

But even as an American, my actions seem more palatable knowing that a majority of international legal scholars, as well as many American legal scholars, and even graduates of West Point thought that the attack in Iraq was illegal. Similar reasoning can also be applied to the attack in Afghanistan. And as a Muslim, I can never engage in a fight against God. It's one thing for the US to say they don't want God's law to reign supreme as the law of the land, but to try and enforce that philosophy in Muslim lands is not acceptable.

But in my zeal to help the mujahideen in Afghanistan and post-Saddam Iraq, I made an error. I broke an explicit covenant, my oath of office, that I took voluntarily, not under duress. Muslims in the US have been my harshest critics in this regard.

I am not an Islamic scholar and regret both making a covenant that had the potential to force me to fight against my religion, and I now regret breaking such an inviolable oath that led to the deaths and injuries that I will now be held accountable to Almighty God. For that I apologize." Nadal would later renounce his United States citizenship and disassociate himself with the oath that he took to protect the United States in the military.

Perhaps this made him feel better about what he had done, but for Nadal's family members, they would soon discover that his actions affected their lives as well. Nadal's cousin, Nader Hassan, had been a successful criminal defense attorney in Virginia when the shooting happened. But when people realized he was related to the shooter, he quickly lost most of his business. He would later tell the New York Times, "...our phones went completely quiet."

"It was devastating since we relied on referrals. I lost dozens of prospective clients and it still happens." In addition, Nader also lost his volunteer coaching position at a local high school. But in 2010, he decided to do something positive and set up the Nawal Foundation, a nonprofit that was established to help Muslim Americans who might be struggling with internal forces to commit violence in the name of Islam.

Eventually, the Foundation caught the attention of a Fort Hood victim's family member. It was Dr. Michael Cahill's daughter, Carrie. She contacted Natter and told him that she liked his message. And later on, the two would travel the country and speak to people about their stories. Carrie Cahill now sits on the Foundation's board.

In the years after the shooting, everyone in America was patiently waiting for Nadal's trial to come around. But they would face some problems along the way. On August 22, 2012, after his trial had already been delayed, Nadal started growing out his beard. He said that the beard represented his Islamic faith.

Nadal's Imam would tell the court that the beard was a sincere personal religious conviction. However, Army prosecutors believed it differently. They thought it was a way for Nadal to prevent witnesses at the SRP center to positively identify him as the attacker. Now, this may have been a bit of a reach, as this really isn't a "who done it" type trial. But in the end, the presiding judge stated that if Nadal did not shave his beard, then it would be forcibly shaved.

the back and forth regarding nadal's beard continued for months which ended up causing several delays with nadal's trial and with every delay the victim's family members were growing more and more impatient which is understandable these trials tend to loom over the people affected by these murders many people just want to get it over with so they can start healing so in the end the courts ended up allowing nadal to keep his beard

Now, in the military, they have strict rules about facial hair, so him growing a long beard almost seemed like a message. A message that Nadal had completely distanced himself from his military past. Judge Colonel Tara Osborne warned Nadal that the military jurors might not have any mercy on him if he kept his beard. But Nadal didn't care, because in the end, he already knew that he would be found guilty.

When his trial finally came about in August of 2013, Nadal decided to represent himself. From his wheelchair, he spoke to the jury, stating, quote, The evidence will clearly show I am the shooter, but the evidence presented during this trial will only show one side. The evidence will also show that I was on the wrong side of America's war on Islam, but then I switched sides.

and I made mistakes, end quote. Nadal also said that he was, quote, an imperfect Muslim trying to establish the perfect religion of Almighty God as supreme on the land, despite the disbelievers' hatred for it. I apologize for any mistakes I made in this endeavor. Army prosecutor, Colonel Steve Hendricks, presented an hour-long introduction where he retold the story of what unfolded on the afternoon of November 5th,

He stated that in the weeks and months before the shooting, Nadal had prepared himself for the attack, buying weapons, ammunition, and even giving away his personal belongings to his neighbors. Nadal had trained himself and read online material about suicide bombers and jihad. Colonel Hendricks stated, quote,

he came to believe he possessed a jihad duty to kill as many soldiers as possible." Now following open statements, the prosecution brought forward a number of survivors who were shot by Nidal Hasan. And over the next few days, they all relived their trauma, talking about everything they went through that day while just feet away from the man who tried to take their life. For

For many of the witnesses, they didn't want to look him in the eye when asked if the shooter was in the room. Many of these victims still had bullets within their bodies. There were many painful testimonies that day and Adal showed no signs of remorse or emotion. And thankfully, he did not cross-examine any of the witnesses.

Interestingly, the judge wouldn't allow any of the emails between Nadal and Anwar al-Awlaki to be presented in court. Now, by this point, Awlaki had actually been killed in a US drone strike in 2011, but the prosecution wanted to show it to the jury to show how radicalized Nadal had become.

But in the end, I guess they wouldn't need it. Ultimately, Nadal did not present a defense in his trial, and on August 21st, he rested his case. The next day, August 22nd, Colonel Steve Hendricks issued a 90-minute closing statement, where he reiterated that Nadal had murdered as many people as he could, choosing the SRP Center because it was very busy, a fact that Nadal had written in a note to himself.

According to Colonel Hendricks, Nadal had been motivated by two things: murder as many American soldiers as possible and avoid deployment to Afghanistan. They argued that Nadal was in fact a homegrown terrorist.

Over 11 days, 90 witnesses had testified and the jury heard horrific stories from the people who had been inside the SRP Center on the day of the shooting. On August 23rd, after only 6 hours of deliberations, the jury found Nidal Hasan guilty of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted murder. The verdict came only a few weeks shy of Nidal's 43rd birthday.

On August 28th, 2013, Nadal was sentenced to death by lethal injection. In interviews before his trial, Nadal had suggested that death was what he wanted because it would make him look like a martyr for his religion. Colonel Michael Mulligan stated, quote, "Do not be fooled. He is not giving his life. We are taking his life. This is not his gift to God. This is his debt

to society." Nadal's death sentence was only one out of a handful of other military men who had been sentenced to die. Included in that list was one of Nadal's inspirations, Hassan Akbar, who attacked his own military camp in Kuwait in 2005.

Today, Nidal Hasan still awaits death at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. He is one of four military members on death row. However, it's unknown when Nidal will be scheduled for lethal injection due to the United States government not executing a member of the armed forces since 1961.

On February 6, 2015, Secretary of the Army John McHugh announced that all of the victims during the Fort Hood Massacre, as well as the wounded, would receive the Purple Heart Medal. Civilians who were hurt or wounded would receive the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom, an honor that is equivalent to the Purple Heart for soldiers.

John McHugh stated, "The Purple Heart's strict eligibility criteria had prevented us from awarding it to victims of the horrific attack at Fort Hood. Now that Congress has changed the criteria, we believe there is sufficient reason to allow these men and women to be awarded and recognized with either the Purple Heart or, in the case of civilians, the Defense of Freedom Medal. It's an appropriate recognition of their service and sacrifice." In addition, the Fort Hood massacre was reclassified from "workplace violence" to an act of terrorism.

After victims, their family members and lawmakers urged legislative changes within the National Defense Authorization Act. The failure to acknowledge the shooting as terrorism had prevented family members of the victims and the wounded to receive the same benefits as those who lost a loved one in combat. Shockingly, these changes took six years to complete.

In the years after the shooting, many of the survivors have worked hard on trying to move forward, but it's been difficult. Like we mentioned, many of the people shot that day have had lifelong issues from their injuries. Most of the survivors had to give up their dreams of serving their country, but some have since learned to find forgiveness.

Patrick Ziegler, who was shot in the head and had to have part of his brain taken out, has since said, quote, "Nidal Hassan thought he was doing the right thing by his religious standards, and he believed that by killing American soldiers, he would save other people. It was just a very ignorant and misplaced ideology. So it was very simple for me to forgive him for thinking the wrong things and letting himself be pulled into an evil place where he could hurt people like that," end quote.

Surprisingly, Patrick and his wife, Jessica, have befriended Nadal's family members, who have also been greatly affected by this tragedy. Patrick's wife, Jessica, said, quote, What I learned about them is that they're phenomenal people who have a beautiful faith, and they're good family members. They love one another, they care about the victims, and they've done kind things for the victims, us included, end quote.

Now, like we mentioned in Part 1, Nadal started becoming more radicalized after his mother died. Nadal has since corresponded with researcher Catherine Poppe, in which she has indicated that he believed his mother's soul would be saved if he followed through with his jihadist quest to murder his fellow soldiers.

Apparently, Nadal had battled with the idea that his mother's soul would go to hell because she had sold alcohol at the family convenience store. But despite his reasoning to justify his actions, the Fort Hood Massacre will go down in history as the worst mass shooting at an American military base, and also as a brutal act of lone terrorism. Following the shooting, the town of Killeen has tried to move on and heal from this tragedy,

The apartments where Nadal lived even changed their name from Casa del Norte Apartments to Las Palmas. But no matter how hard they try to move on, it's been difficult.

especially because over the years, Killeen, Texas has had many more tragedies. In fact, another mass shooting would take place at Fort Hood in 2014, which took the lives of four people, including the gunman. And don't worry, we're gonna talk about all of that in next week's episode. - But for those affected, no matter how much time has passed, the memories from that day, November 5th, 2009,

remain as raw and fresh as the day it happened. Today, we remember the lives of the victims and the wounded for their bravery, service, and their dedication to the United States of America. Today, Courtney and I will be making a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project, a group that helps fund and provide mental health care, long-term rehabilitation care, career counseling, and transition benefits for post-9/11 veterans who have returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hey, everybody. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of Murder in America. This story is just crazy. It's infuriating. All the warning signs they missed. The way that the government handled this entire thing, honestly, is shameful. Obviously, it should have been classified as a terrorist attack.

Immediately, I just still can't believe it took six years to get to that point. But in the next coming weeks, as we dive even deeper into Fort Hood and the culture of violence and the mysterious suicides and the deaths and the whistleblowers that have existed there, I think you guys are gonna have your minds blown, 'cause this is, yeah, we're getting into some dark and murky waters here, and it's really, really interesting stuff.

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You could have heard this episode before it dropped on our main feed. There's just a ton of perks. We love everybody on there, and we're so thankful that everyone has chosen to join us. Also, don't forget to leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you're listening to your podcasts. And as always, follow us on Instagram at Murder in America to see photos from every single case that we cover here on the show. These next few episodes, I have been really looking forward to getting into, so stay tuned. It's about to get wild.

But thank y'all. I'm Colin Brown. We love you guys. And I'll catch y'all on the next one.