Gunman Kills Doctor, Self at VA Hospital

A gunman opened fire at the El Paso VA Health Care System in Texas yesterday afternoon, with a Pentagon official telling CNN that he killed a doctor and then himself. Authorities confirmed that the shooter and one other person were dead, but they provided no details, nor did they speculate about a motive. The AP notes that a federal audit last year showed that the El Paso VA clinic had some of the longest waiting times in the country for veterans seeking help.

The FBI is leading the investigation into the incident, which caused a massive lockdown that had people hiding in darkened rooms for hours, reports the El Paso Times. The special agent in charge of the FBI's El Paso division says investigators are dealing with hundreds of potential witnesses. "We are processing them right now. Those people were here seeking medical assistance," he told reporters. "We understand what this situation represents to them." (More Fort Bliss stories.)