The gunman who killed 12 people and wounded several others Monday at the Washington, DC Navy Yard was honorably discharged from the Navy Reserve in 2011 despite several infractions, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.
The deceased gunman, identified as contractor Aaron Alexis of Fort Worth, Texas, served as an aviation electrician’s mate third class from 2007 to early 2011, according to military records.
A Navy official told the Post that Alexis had at least eight infractions, including showing up late for work, insubordination and disorderly conduct. The official, who spoke anonymously in order to discuss the gunman’s personnel record, added that Alexis was given an administrative sanction after being arrested in 2008 in Georgia.
That official explained to the Post that the Navy Reserves intended to remove Alexis with a general discharge, but because that removal was slow to proceed, Alexis was granted a request to leave the service in early 2011 with an honorable discharge.
The official corrected the Navy’s previous description of how Alexis separated from the service. A Navy official had told the Post on Monday that Alexis was given a “general discharge,” which the military often uses to designate a “blemished record of performance,” as the Post pointed out.
The Los Angeles Times and CBS News also reported Monday that Alexis was discharged for a “pattern of misconduct.”
