One Of Two Victims In Fort Bliss Shooting Has Died; Gunman Identified; Commander Says Post Is Safe
Update: In the wake of a shooting that left a victim and shooter dead, Fort Bliss’ Commanding General maintained the post is one of the safest in the country.
Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard said the shooting incident on Monday was an isolated incident involving “one disgruntled, deranged individual.”
FBI officials on Tuesday identified the deceased victim as 44-year-old Bettina Maria Goins of El Paso. FBI officials said the identity of the surviving victim, who remains hospitalized with serious injuries, will not be released due to privacy concerns.
The gunman has been identified as retired Army Sgt. Steven Kropf. He was 63.
FBI officials said it is not known if Kropf had a relationship with either of victims and the motive for the shooting is still under investigation. It has been determined this was an isolated criminal incident and not terrorism related, the FBI said.
FBI officials said Kropf entered the Shopette Convenience Store located at 1333 Cassidy Road on Fort Bliss and shot the two female civilian employees in the head. Both victims were transported to William Beaumont Medical Center. Kropf was later shot and killed by a Department of Army Law Enforcement Guard.
Pittard said that a shooter exercise in July on post helped first responders be prepared for the shooting on post on Monday. He said those who were at Fort Hood during that post’s shooting in November helped with the shooting exercise in the summer.
Pittard said random checks for weapons are made at all Fort Bliss gates and those who frequent the post can expect more in the future.
“You’ll see some more random checks,” Pittard said. “We’re going to increase what we call RAMP. And that’s more random checks of our vehicles. We want to make sure our family members, civilians and soldiers feel safe on fort bliss.”
Fort Bliss officials said an alert system on post worked well in response to the shooting, but some Army spouses voiced concerns about the system.
“Sir..I know you are very busy right now. I just have a question sort of related to this. On the news you said that you were alerted by your cell phone and email. Is this just for garrison? Or is there a way for our soldiers and families to get this as well? There is no brodcast sbrodcast system in the off post housing. I was just wondering if there was a way to alert everyone.,” the question was posed on a Facebook page set up soldiers and spouses to ask questions of the Fort Bliss Garrison Commander.
Col. Joseph A. Simonelli Jr. answered the question on the Facebook thread by saying, “The system is limited right now to those individuals on the military network. It is a matter of capability and cost. Both of which we are working on.”
Pittard said the post has been and remains one of the safest installations in the country.
The shopette where the shooting occurred will reopen on Wednesday.
On Goins’ MySpace page, she said she was divorced with two children and moved to El Paso in 2008. See photos of Goins .
“They are my life and my everything,” she wrote on her MySpace page about her children. “They come first before me. I spent a lot of time with them and enjoy being around them so if you are interested in meeting me needs to be also interested in my children.”
On her Facebook page, Goins wrote, “What is there to say: I am just me ….nothing special nothing dramatic just keeping it real never forget where u came from that is my motto and believe in urself everything will fall into it’s place where it is suppose to go.”
El Paso FBI agents responded to the scene, along with its Evidence Response Team. The agents were conducting interviews of army personnel as well as witnesses and the Evidence Response Team worked late into the night processing the crime scene and vehicle.
The FBI has primary jurisdiction whenever a civilian crime occurs on a federal reservation, in this case Fort Bliss. The FBI will continue to work the investigation with Fort Bliss Criminal Investigation Division and Military Police.
This is not the first time there has been a shooting on Fort Bliss
In April 2009, a Fort Bliss soldier was shot to death at the Fort Bliss Post Exchange by her civilian husband, who then wounded himself.
In April of this year, the Pentagon announced it was making several broad policy changes in response to a review of last year?s Fort Hood massacre. Changes included improved sharing of information on security threats and a unified policy on personal gun ownership at military installations, according to a report in the San Antonio Express-News.
In Nov. 2009, Army Maj. Nidal Hasan killed 13 military personnel on Fort Hood. Hasan has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.
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The Garrison Commander at Fort Bliss said two people were shot at a shopette on post Monday afternoon and that the shooter is dead.
Col. Joseph A. Simonelli Jr. declined to discuss details or identify the victims of the shooting incident or the gunman. He also declined to say what condition the victims were in.
El Paso Mayor John Cook says both women wounded in Monday afternoon’s attack were shot in the head. Cook said the victims were employees at the Army & Air Force Exchange Service.
Beaumont Army Medical Center personnel referred questions about the conditions of the two victims to the FBI, which did not immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press.
Simonelli said the shooter was shot and killed by law enforcement on post. The area was roped off for an FBI investigation, but the sprawling facility next to El Paso was never under lockdown.
Simonelli said the shooting was reported about 3 p.m. local time and authorities responded in about three minutes.
Simonelli did not say how the shooter was connected to the post.
This is not the first time there has been a shooting on post.
In April 2009, a Fort Bliss soldier was shot to death at the Fort Bliss Post Exchange by her civilian husband, who then wounded himself.
In April of this year, the Pentagon announced it was making several broad policy changes in response to a review of last year?s Fort Hood massacre. Changes included improved sharing of information on security threats and a unified policy on personal gun ownership at military installations, according to a report in the San Antonio Express-News.
In Nov. 2009, Army Maj. Nidal Hasan killed 13 military personnel on Fort Hood. Hasan has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.
Related Story:Fort Bliss Community Reacts To Shooting
