Authorities have identified the perpetrator responsible for the Navy Yard shooting as Aaron Alexis, a man who enlisted in the Navy in 2007 yet was let go from the Navy Reserve in 2011 after being arrested in Texas. While Aaron Alexis was able to enter the naval compound with active forms of identification, his previous arrest in Texas showed dubious character traits.

According to Cathy Lanier who serves as the Police Chief, Aaron Alexis acted alone in the shooting even though original reports suggested that several gunmen may have been responsible for the devastation. “We now feel comfortable we have the single and sole person responsible for the loss of the life inside the base today,” Cathy Lanier said to reporters.

Alexis was arrested by Fort Worth police on September 4, 2010, after a neighbor complained that a bullet from the apartment belonging to Aaron Alexis had entered into her own apartment. This situation occurred after Aaron had confronted the neighbor in the parking lot angry over loud noises coming from her apartment. Why would an individual with past criminal experiences have valid identification to gain entry into such a compound as the Navy Yard?

The Director of the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary’s University located in Texas, Jeffrey Addicott, shared his opinion on the screening process that led to the tragedy. “Given the task at hand, they’ve done remarkably well. If you think about the thousands of people who go on to military bases, it’s impossible to stop and search every car. If you’re trying to stop them at the gate, you’re too late. We need to have better screening processes,” he said. Are the screening processes the main factor that led to the shooting, or are other preventable forces also to blame?

Multiple shooting rampages have happened within the last few years including: the Sandy Hook Elementary School horror within Newtown, Connecticut, the Century 16 multiplex Batman movie tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, and the Fort Hood military post shooting ordeal that happened in Killeen, Texas. Will these events continue to plague American society, or is there something that the general populace can do to safeguard themselves?

[Image And Video Via YouTube]