Vigil held for 13 killed in shooting spree by army psychiatrist

MILITARY families attended a candlelit vigil inside Fort Hood army base in Texas yesterday for the 13 killed and 30 injured by army psychiatrist, Major Nadil Malik Hasan.

At the same time an armed forces forensics team began piecing together the four-minute rampage in which Major Hasan fired more than 100 rounds at fellow soldiers.

Investigators visited his home and confiscated his computer and a neighbour's computer, which he often used. They are looking into whether he acted alone or not. Earlier in the day, 300 soldiers, politicians and army officials watched as 13 flag-draped coffins were loaded into an aircraft before being flown to the Dover Air Force base in Texas, which handles America's war dead.

A police officer, Kimberly Munley, who opened fire on Major Hasan, and her partner Sergeant Mark Todd, were praised for their bravery in engaging him in a close firefight, which saved lives.

Officer Munley, the mother of a three-year-old and whose husband is in the military, shot Major Hasan four times despite being shot in both legs and suffering a major arterial wound. Francisco Delfeverra, a 23-year-old medic who was at the base's Soldier Readiness Centre where the shooting took place, said that when Officer Munley was brought in she was fading in and out of consciousness.

One of the guns used by Major Hasan was a semi-automatic handgun of the type favoured by the Mexican drug cartels because it can be fitted with an extended ammunition clip. The guns had been bought legally from a gun shop near the base, army spokesman Colonel John Rossi said.

Last night Major Hasan was still in a critical condition in the Brook military hospital in San Antonio, Texas.

Neighbours said before Major Hasan left for work on Thursday, he gave them copies of the Koran and gave away his furniture, indicating that he did not think he would survive his intended attack.

But investigators were no closer to determining his motive for the shooting, although a relative said the officer was being harassed by for being a Muslim.

At the vigil, the bewilderment in the Fort Hood community and the fact that the gunman was one of their own was clear.

''Part of our family has died,'' said Sylie Keller, a former soldier, as she sat next to her husband, Colonel Charles Keller.