Enlarge imageHOUSTON (Reuters) - At least seven people were killed and 12 wounded in a shooting at a U.S. Army base in Fort Hood, Texas, an Army official said on Thursday.
One gunman was in custody and another was on the loose at the military base, one of the largest military installations in the world, local media reported earlier. There could be a third shooter involved, MSNBC reported.
An Army official in Washington confirmed the shooting, which occurred about a half hour before a scheduled graduation event at the base, home to about 65,000 soldiers.
U.S. President Barack Obama has been briefed on the shootings, and the White House is monitoring the situation, a White House spokesman said.
The attack happened at Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Centre, according to the FOX 4 television station. The base is currently in lockdown mode, according to Fort Hood's website.
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Fort Hood is halfway between Austin and Waco, about 60 miles (97 km) from each city, in Texas.
"Our dedicated military personnel have sacrificed so much in service to our country, and it sickens me that the men and women of Fort Hood have been subjected to this senseless, random violence," said Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.
(Reporting by Chris Baltimore, Editing by Sandra Maler)
