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Man Kills Self, Hostage at Johnson Space Center in Houston
NewsMax.com Wires Saturday, April 21, 2007
HOUSTON -- A NASA contract worker took a handgun inside an office building
Friday at the Johnson Space Center and fatally shot a hostage before killing
himself, police said. A second hostage escaped with minor injuries. The
gunman shot himself once in the head more than three hours after barricading
himself on the second floor of Building 44, which houses a laboratory.
The slain hostage was probably killed "in the early minutes of the whole
ordeal," Houston Police Capt. Dwayne Ready said.
None of those involved were immediately identified.
The man was believed to be an employee of Jacobs Engineering, which has a
technical support contract with NASA.
"We understand it is one of our employees," said John Prosser, the company's
executive vice president.
Roads within the 1,600-acre campus were blocked off during the
confrontation. A nearby middle school also kept its teachers and students
inside as classes ended.
NASA employees and contract workers were kept informed of the situation by
e-mail.
Christine Reichert, space station flight controller at the space center,
said employees were initially told to stay in their buildings. That
restriction was lifted a few hours later.
Michael Zolensky, who studies cosmic dust at the space center, said workers
were gathered around a television watching news reports of the situation.
Doors to Mission Control were locked as standard procedure.
President Bush was informed about the gunman as he flew back to Washington
from an event in Michigan, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
Man Kills Self, Hostage at Johnson Space Center in Houston
NewsMax.com Wires Saturday, April 21, 2007
HOUSTON -- A NASA contract worker took a handgun inside an office building
Friday at the Johnson Space Center and fatally shot a hostage before killing
himself, police said. A second hostage escaped with minor injuries. The
gunman shot himself once in the head more than three hours after barricading
himself on the second floor of Building 44, which houses a laboratory.
The slain hostage was probably killed "in the early minutes of the whole
ordeal," Houston Police Capt. Dwayne Ready said.
None of those involved were immediately identified.
The man was believed to be an employee of Jacobs Engineering, which has a
technical support contract with NASA.
"We understand it is one of our employees," said John Prosser, the company's
executive vice president.
Roads within the 1,600-acre campus were blocked off during the
confrontation. A nearby middle school also kept its teachers and students
inside as classes ended.
NASA employees and contract workers were kept informed of the situation by
e-mail.
Christine Reichert, space station flight controller at the space center,
said employees were initially told to stay in their buildings. That
restriction was lifted a few hours later.
Michael Zolensky, who studies cosmic dust at the space center, said workers
were gathered around a television watching news reports of the situation.
Doors to Mission Control were locked as standard procedure.
President Bush was informed about the gunman as he flew back to Washington
from an event in Michigan, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
