I listened to the latest press conference.

The FBI said they have put up pictures on their website of the dead shooter, Aaron Alexis of Ft. Worth, Texas, asking for any bit of information on him anyone has.

They still are worried about a second person of interest, in fatigue-like clothing, which they know about from a video. But it didn't sound very much like they are worried about him as an actual shooter. It seemed to me  more like this: just in case this guy was involved, they don't want to make it sound like he isn't dangerous.

They have no idea of motive.

Rumors of a third person involved have been ruled out. They found that person, talked to him, and he was not involved.

From The Lede, the FBI sheet:

Had Aug. 7 police encounter ,with him delusional; 2 days before shooting had target practice with rented AR-15 & purchasedof shotgun & ammo; used the shotgun and a purloined handgun for the shooting, not the automatic rifle.

Washington Navy Yard shooter practiced with AR-15 at Virginia range two days before rampage, lawyer says
By Michael Isikoff, Jim Miklaszewski and Pete Williams, NBC News, Sept. 17, 2013

Aaron Alexis, the Washington Navy Yard shooter, rented an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and used it for target practice at a Northern Virginia gun range and store less than two days before his shooting spree, according to the lawyer for the store.

J. Michael Slocum, a lawyer for Sharpshooters Small Arms Range in Lorton, Va., said in an email to NBC News that on Sept. 14 Alexis also bought a Remington 870 shotgun and a "small amount of ammunition -- approximately 2 boxes- 24 shells." Alexis listed his residence as being in Texas.

Authorities said Alexis used a Remington shotgun to shoot a police officer and a security guard before taking one of their handguns and continuing on his rampage. Some earlier reports said an assault-style rifle, such as the AR-15 was used in the shooting but the FBI said it didn’t believe he did [.....]

Police in Newport, R.I., said that Alexis called them to a Marriott hotel there on the morning of Aug. 7 and reported that he was being followed and was worried that the people were going to hurt him.

Alexis told police that the three talked to him through the walls, floor or ceiling at three hotels — two commercial hotels in Rhode Island and one on a naval base there. He told them that they used a microwave machine to send vibrations and keep him awake [....]

At the end of same article on the pitiful state of military base security, my bold:

Security flaws

Mabus’ reviews come as a Defense Department inspector general report, made public on Tuesday, disclosed major flaws in security screening of contractors working on Navy installations.

The report says 52 convicted felons were able to routinely get on bases even though their felony convictions came before they were issued entry credentials.  “Numerous” contract employees received such credentials without proper vetting through authoritative databases such as the National Crime Information Center and the Terrorist Screening Databases, the report found. Plus, contractors were too easily allowed to get local day passes without the mandatory screening.

Remembering the Victims @ WaPo

There is no rhyme or reason. Certainly not racial.  The only thing is age, most in their 50's, youngest was 46.

Many heartbreaking stories, like

Arthur Daniels, 51..... labored as a handyman relocating and installing office furniture in federal government buildings around the region....He was shot in the back by the gunman as he was running away, witnesses said.....

This is the second time that his family has endured a random act of gun violence. In 2009, one of his sons — 14-year-old Arthur Daniels — was shot in the back. He was also running away from an armed man.

The person who shot him — Ransom Perry Jr. of Northeast Washington — had been arrested nine times before that, including as recently as January of that year, on a charge of carrying a pistol without a license.

In 2011, Perry, 21, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and robbery charges related to the death of Arthur Daniels Jr. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Priscilla Daniels wept through the night on Monday and into Tuesday, unable to find a reason for the loss of both son and father in a period of four years.....

Different military base, different country, same shit:

The ABC7 I-Team investigates the surprise attack on a U.S. military compound, but it's not the deadly assault in Washington Monday. The I-Team has an exclusive look at an insurgent raid of Camp Bastion in Afghanistan one year ago.....

the sorry story continued @

Chicago Marine details deadly Taliban raid on Camp Bastion
By Chuck Goudie and Barb Markoff, September 19, 2013 (CHICAGO) (WLS)

Compare:

Anthony Meely, chairman of the Fraternal Order of Police's labor committee for the Navy Yard's officers, said in an interview that the force was woefully undermanned Monday because of government cutbacks, which may have led to additional deaths.

There were only six patrolmen on duty instead of 11, all were posted at the gates, and only two patrol cars were available, he said. The only officer on patrol inside the yard was the chief of police, who was the first to reach the building, Meely said. The chief could hear the shots ringing inside and saw the private security guard at one of the entrances, Meely said. The chief told the guard to unholster his weapon and be prepared to return fire, Meely said, and when the guard did, Alexis shot him.

The other officers had to run from the gates to the building, which took "precious time," Meely said, eight to 10 minutes. Then their radio batteries died, and officers had to fumble with cellphones to summon help, he said.

They could still hear shots inside, and finally some of them formed an "entry team" and started inside the building, the union leader said.

But adding to the confusion was that employees running away from the building gave conflicting reports, including accounts of more than one shooter, he said. "They were told about a person in a Hawaiian shirt. There was somebody with sideburns. There was somebody in a naval uniform."

Meely summed up: "I believe the security guard might still be alive if we had had adequate staffing." Instead, he said, "we were undermanned."

A Navy official, who asked not to be identified, responded with a statement: "This is absolutely something we are looking at. We are aware of the union's claims and they will be looked into as part of the review that has been ordered into the case."

from

Navy Yard shooter attacked 'calmly,' FBI chief says
By Richard A. Serrano, LA Times, September 19, 2013