Fort Hood and Killeen, Texas remember other violent days

Fort Hood and nearby Killeen, Texas are still in a state of shock regarding today's violent attack, but there are other memories.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - Today's violence at Fort Hood brought back other memories for residents of the area.

Hilary Shine, a spokeswoman for the city of Killeen, Texas, stated "Unfortunately, this is a day we had dreaded. Every time you hear of a mass casualty situation in Killeen, you think of Luby's. ...

She was referring to a day of horror for Killeen, located next door to Fort Hood. It was the scene for what has been called the Luby's Massacre in 1991.

Wikipedia describes it this way: "On October 16, 1991, (George Jo) Hennard drove his 1987 Ford Ranger pickup truck through the front window of a Luby's Cafeteria at 1705 East Central Texas Expressway in Killeen, yelled 'This is what Belton did to me!,' then opened fire on the restaurant's patrons and staff with a Glock 17 pistol and later a Ruger P89."

He stalked, shot, and killed 23 people and wounded another 20 before committing suicide. Hennard even reloaded several times and had ammunition left over during the massacre before taking his own life.

Then, there was the shooting only a few months ago in July when a violent event occurred at Fort Hood. Just after midnight on a Friday evening a solider fired a gun into a crowd at the McNair Housing Facility at Fort Hood striking a fellow soldier. He died later at Darnall Medical Center on post.

Specialist Armando Baca, of the 1st Cavalry Division, was arrested later that morning at the main gate for the shooting.

The citizens of Fort Hood and Killeen now have another sad day to add to their memories, November 5.

"Here in City Hall, it's panic," Shine said. "We all have friends and family members who work or have business on Fort Hood."

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