A soldier has been arrested by Fort Hood military police after making “homicidal threats” toward his leadership, the post said in a brief statement Thursday.
The soldier had no firearm and made the threats verbally, a Fort Hood official separately told Army Times. The soldier was also not preparing to deploy, they added.
“Rumors of an active shooter on Fort Hood are false; no shots were fired," said Tom Rheinlander, the post’s public affairs director, in a prepared statement. "An active duty Soldier made homicidal threats towards his leadership and is currently in custody by Fort Hood law enforcement officers.”
“Again, no shots have been fired and an active shooter situation did not occur on Fort Hood," Rheinlander added.
No other details about the incident were released by the central Texas military installation.
Earlier this month, the Army announced that a new general would take acting command of Fort Hood after it was thrust into the public spotlight in recent months following the violent deaths and disappearances of soldiers assigned there.
RELATED
Foul play is suspected in the deaths of five soldiers. The numbers of certain violent crimes at Fort Hood are among the highest in the force, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy acknowledged last month.
Though there was no shooting at Fort Hood on Thursday, a shooting did take place at another Texas installation this week.
A 20-year-old infantryman is in stable condition at a local hospital after he allegedly brandished a handgun at MPs on Fort Bliss, near El Paso, and exchanged gunfire with them.
Leadership at Fort Bliss signed a health and welfare inspection order that allowed them to search for any unregistered weapons in soldiers' personal areas, to include barracks and cars.
In general, soldiers are allowed to own personal weapons when living in barracks areas, but they must register the firearm with MPs and store the weapon in their unit armory.
Editor’s note: This is a developing story. Army Times will update this article as more information becomes available.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
