Terror struck the Washington Navy Yard in D.C. Sept. 16 when a gunman attacked more than a dozen innocent civilians. After a shoot off with police, the suspect died, allowing officers to identify him as 34-year-old Aaron Alexis of Fort Worth, T.X. After the brutal attack, 12 were left dead as well as eight others injured.
Many question why the unexpected shooting took place. Friends and family of Alexis saw no signs of any mental illness. But, there were many red flags after further investigation into his past. After working for the Navy since 2007, he was discharged in 2011, a huge red flag for many with a mental illness. In August, Alexis reported hearing voices and feared that someone was using a microwave to send vibrations into his body in order to keep him awake at night. The VA Medical Center gave him medicine to help with his troubled sleeping. When asked, he denied being depressed or having any suicidal or homicidal thoughts. Police later learned Alexis traveled to a Buddhist temple in Massachusetts, requesting to sleep there overnight. When the monks suggested a hotel, he said he didn’t like staying in them because of the bothersome noises there.
In addition to the signs of mental illness, Alexis had a worrisome record with the police. He was arrested three times in three different states for inexplicable acts of violence. Three other times, he was reported for being aggressive or having hallucinations. In 2004, he reportedly had such an intense anger blackout that he never recalled shooting his .45-caluber Glock. Even a neighbor of Alexis’s reported a gunshot came up through her floor, a short distance from where she was sitting.
One way the situation could have totally been prevented was passing of information. Even after Rhode Island police warned Navy officials about his reports of hearing voices, they never notified Alexis’s employer. Unfortunately on the day of the attack, Alexis was simply wearing a bag with a Remington 870 shotgun hidden inside, allowing him to slip inside the base like everyone else. Police later found carvings in the gun, such as, “Better off this way” and “My ELF weapon.”
Another baffling aspect of Alexis’ history was that the Veterans Health Administration and the District failed both times on finding out about his mental instability. Alexis also reportedly saw a counselor multiple times for post-traumatic stress disorder. A lot of this brings to the table whether health institutions need to pay closer attention to patients experiencing even small signs of mental illness. Even after a two-time background check, Alexis received clearance, meaning he could be fully trusted by the base.
Hopefully, the Navy and other health centers will start reevaluating how they handle patients, background checks, and the steps people are required to go through before receiving clearance. If people had paid closer attention, 12 human beings and their families would never have had to suffer. Police are still looking into any possible motives Alexis could have had for the shooting.
