KTUU.com | Alaska's news and information source | Impacts of Fort Hood tragedy reach as far as Bethel

Impacts of Fort Hood tragedy reach as far as Bethel

by Leyla Santiago
Friday, November 06, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Officials say the gunman at Fort Hood fired more than 100 rounds, claiming 13 lives Thursday.

Tonight the suspect is in a military hospital in San Antonio.

Families across the country are grieving, and that includes a family in Alaska.

For the Murphy family in Bethel, the killing spree means the loss of a brother-in-law.

"He was a good person ... Well liked, a good physician," said Kevin Murphy, via phone.

Mike Cahill worked at Fort Hood in Texas for seven years.

When word spread of a gunman on base on Thursday, his family in Bethel kept a close eye on the latest updates.

"When I first heard it was at Fort Hood and it was in one of the areas where Mike works, I kind of stayed by the TV, CNN all day long," Murphy said.

And just when he thought no news was good news, "My sister in Texas called me... saying that Mike was passed away,"

Officials say Mike Cahill was the only civilian killed when Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood.

"The army sent out a crisis person who was helping my sister out at the house," Murphy said.

"It just seems so unfair that they were in a place that they were supposed to be safe and they weren't," said Kyle Harper, with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.

TAPS is an Alaska non-profit that emotionally supports anyone grieving a death of a loved one in the military.

The organization set up in Fort Hood about a year ago.

"We're very lucky in a way that we can be there to provide the support that are there on post that dealing with this right now," Harper said.

TAPS workers in Texas are busier than ever.

"They're just reporting that it was just a bit overwhelming. They didn't know, everyone was asking, what do you need? What can we do?," Harper said.

There were 13 killed in the attack and 23 people remain in the hospital, about half of them in critical condition.

Friday night a candlelight vigil was held in Fort Hood for the victims.

KYUK Radio also contributed to this story.

Contact Leyla Santiago at lsantiago@ktuu.com