3 Sailors Hurt in Apparent Suicide Attempt

3 Sailors Injured in Scuffle During Apparent Suicide Attempt on Texas Base

The Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas - A sailor who was apparently trying to commit suicide Thursday shot and wounded himself and two superiors as they struggled for the gun in an effort to stop him, the base commander said.

The sailor's weapon went off as they struggled, grazing both superiors and injuring the sailor, said Capt. John McCormack, the commander at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base at Carswell.

The gunman was in critical condition with a single gunshot wound to the neck; his supervisors received stitches and were expected to be discharged Thursday from the hospital, said Chief Petty Officer Eric Clement. A single bullet injured all three men, he said.

The shooting happened after noon at a work center inside an administrative building, said base spokesman Capt. Clay Sanford.

The names of the three injured sailors were not released.

Gates to the base, formerly known as Carswell Air Force Base, were closed briefly following the afternoon shooting but later reopened. Emergency vehicles could be seen surrounding a building near an air traffic control tower on the base.

Nearly 8,000 reservists from the Navy, Air Force, Marines and Texas Air National Guard are assigned to the base.