Arik Hesseldahl

Recent Posts by Arik Hesseldahl

D.C. Navy Yard Shooter Had Ties to HP Contractor

The suspected gunman in the shooting incident at the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard that has left 12 people dead had worked for a contractor to Hewlett-Packard, the company says.

I just received a statement from an HP spokesman confirming that Aaron Alexis (pictured in a handout from the FBI), who authorities have identified as the perpetrator in today’s attacks, was employed by an HP subcontractor working on a tech project for the Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps.

Here’s the statement in full:

“We are deeply saddened by today’s tragic events at the Washington Navy Yard. Our thoughts and sympathies are with all those who have been affected. Aaron Alexis was an employee of a company called “The Experts,” a subcontractor to an HP Enterprise Services contract to refresh equipment used on the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) network. HP is cooperating fully with law enforcement as requested.”

As The Wall Street Journal reported earlier, Alexis was a 34-year former Naval Reservist who had ties both to Fort Worth, Texas, and to Queens, N.Y. He died in a shootout with police.

He had joined the Navy in 2007, but was kicked out in 2011 as a result of charges relating to an incident in Fort Worth in which he was said to have fired a gun through the ceiling of his apartment into the apartment above his, after complaining about noise.

No apparent motive has yet emerged for the shooting.

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