A pair of mass shootings at Ft. Hood military post in Texas left at least 7 dead and 20 wounded Thursday, and one suspected gunman is on the loose, the Army said, Fox News reported.
A massive manhunt was under way for the suspect at large, Fox News confirmed, and one person was in custody. The New York Post said that there were two shooters at the Army post massacre; other reports said there were three.
An Army spokesman at the Pentagon said the shootings began about 1:30 p.m. Thursday at a personnel and medical processing center at Ft. Hood.
Lt. Col. Nathan Banks said two shooters were apparently involved. There is no word yet on who they were, nor on the identities of the dead.
The second incident took place at a theater on Ft. Hood, according to Banks.
Some media reports said the number of victims remained unclear.
Banks said a motive wasn't immediately known and it is too soon to tell whether there is any link to battle stress or repeated deployments. The Army is suffering a record high suicide rate and other signs of stress from fighting two wars.
Army officials didn't know whether the victims were civilians or military personnel.
The men were reportedly dressed in Army fatigues, but military officials couldn't confirm that they were Army personnel.
Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said the shooting was a terrible tragedy for all of the military families affected.
She said the post is a processing center where soldiers are processed before going to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis told Fox News those at the base are trained for combat and it is not unusual to see armed people there.
"It could be a terror attack, it could be a disenchanted soldiers, it could be a varity of people," said Maginnis.
The base and area schools were on lockdown after the mass shooting, and all those on the Army post were asked to gather for a head count.
The FBI was going to Ft. Hood to provide assistance.
There have been several previous deadly incidents at Ft. Hood, including a shooting of one soldier by another at a party in July; a rape and fatal shooting of an Army medic at her apartment near the post 11 years ago; and the murder-suicide of a lieutenant by a soldier in September 2008.