Area Soldier Killed In Fort Hood Rampage

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Nov 6, 2009 3:00PM

We were all shocked yesterday afternoon watching coverage of the shooting rampage in Fort Hood, Texas. This morning, the tragedy hits close to home as it's been learned one of the 13 people killed, Army Pfc. Michael Pearson, 21, was from Bolingbrook. Pearson's mother Sheryll told the Tribune, "We thought it was going to be okay, because we thought it was another building. Mike won't be there because he already he got his inoculations ... He shouldn't be in that part of that building. Since we weren't contacted, we felt we were okay." The Trib's report continues:

But as they were driving home about 6:30 p.m., they received a call on their cell phone from Mike's sergeant at Ft. Hood. Mike, he said, had been shot three times--in the spine and chest. He said Mike had lost a lot of blood.

About 10 p.m., an Army surgeon called to say that Mike hadn't made it. He said doctors had brought Mike back to life twice on the operating table but were unsuccessful the third time.

"His father is still in shock and very angry," Sheryll Pearson said. "We're all very angry."

There are still plenty of questions about what happened yesterday afternoon but details are slowly starting to emerge about Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who is being held for the shooting rampage yesterday that killed 13 (12 soldiers and 1 civilian) and wounded 30 people, including Hasan himself who is in stable condition. This morning, the AP is reporting that soldiers who witnessed the shootings claim Hasan, a devout Muslim, shouted "Allahu Akbar!" - the Arabic phrase "God is great!" - just before the shooting started. According to the NY Times, Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone has said that though terrorism has not been ruled out, preliminary evidence suggested the rampage was not an act of terrorism; investigators are looking into reports that Hasan had expressed anger about plans to be delpoyed to Afghanistan.