Fort Hood tears down building where US Army psychiatrist gunned down soldiers in 2009 massacre

DALLAS – A Texas Army post has razed the building where a former psychiatrist carried out one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history, with plans to put up trees and a memorial in its place.

Fort Hood officials said Tuesday that they have torn down Building 42003, the site of a 2009 massacre that left 13 people dead and more than 30 wounded.

The building was part of a processing centre complex for soldiers deploying and returning from combat. On Nov. 5, 2009, then-Maj. Nidal Hasan carried two weapons inside, shouted “Allahu Akbar!” – “God is great” in Arabic – and opened fire on soldiers waiting for vaccines and paperwork.

As soldiers and civilians tried to take cover, Hasan walked through the building, targeting anyone in a green Army uniform. He left pools of blood and spent ammunition in his wake. He was eventually confronted outside the building by Fort Hood police officers, who shot him and paralyzed him from the waist down.

Hasan was convicted in August of charges related to the massacre and sentenced to death. He is on death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, while his case goes through a review at Fort Hood before it enters a series of mandatory appeals.

The building was sealed off for nearly four years until post officials announced in November that they would demolish it.

Fort Hood officials plan to place trees, a gazebo and a memorial plaque at the site.