UPDATE 9:33 P.M. ET:
Contrary to earlier reports, suspected primary shooter Nidal Malik Hasan is actually alive and in custody. Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said Hasan was reportedly wounded several times during the shooting but is in stable condition.
Twelve people were killed and 31 wounded in the mass shooting at Fort Hood military base in Texas this afternoon.
—-
6:53 p.m.: MSNBC reports that the suspected shooter was set to be deployed to Iraq on Nov. 28. The Army Times reports that a Pentagon source said he was a psychiatrist recently reassigned from Walter Reed Medical Center near Washington, D.C., to Darnall Army Medical Center in Fort Hood.
6:22 p.m.: Hutchison told MSNBC that the suspected shooter was going to be deployed to Iraq, but stressed that it’s premature to speculate about motives.
6:21 p.m.: At his press conference about half an hour ago, Gov. Rick Perry asked Americans to “keep their families in your prayers.” He also lauded actions of the incident’s responders. “We have the right people on the scene at this time,” he said.
5:23 p.m.: ABC News reports that the primary shooter was Major Malik Nadal Hasan.
5 p.m.: The Statesman tweets that a spokesman for a local hospital, Scott and White, confirms that all the victims there are adults.
4:57 p.m.: The all-clear has not been given, and the base is still on lockdown.
4:56 p.m.: “This is a terrible tragedy,” says the spokesman, and offers condolences to the families.
4:54 p.m.: Spox: The weapons were handguns. One police officer is among the dead.
4:52 p.m.: All the parties involved were soldiers. The base has apprehended two more soldiers who are being held as suspects. All the casualties happened during the initial incident, according to a spokesman for Fort Hood.
4:51 p.m.: Fort Hood press conference: Gunman killed. 12 dead. 31 wounded. (ed. note: Though the Army spokesman at the press conference announced that the gunman was dead, a newer report contradicts this. Hasan is alive and in custody.)
4:49 p.m.: CNN is now reporting that there are 12 dead, including a gunman.
4:47 p.m.: Here’s what we’re hearing in TPM headquarters, from the cable news networks and other sources. A note: As the story develops, reports are still very sketchy and little about the shootings is confirmed.
President Obama is set to speak at 4:50 p.m. ET. He’s been briefed on the events.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry will also speak, at around 5 p.m. ET.
Fort Hood is planning a press conference momentarily, but the post is still on lockdown. Unconfirmed reports are still trickling in about more shots fired, and sirens on the base can still be heard.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) said she’s been told up to 30 people have been wounded. Most outlets are reporting seven dead.
Schools in the area are on lockdown. Classes at Texas A&M’s central Texas locations have been canceled.
There was another shooting at Fort Hood just over a year ago, according to the Austin-American Statesman. In September 2008, a 22-year-old soldier fatally shot and killed another, and then turned the gun on himself.
FBI and ATF officials are on the scene.
There have been conflicting reports of two or three shooters. The base has confirmed that one shooter is in custody.
One reporter said the shootings were “all military,” suggesting both the shooters and the victims were military personnel, but that has not been confirmed.
