Fort Detrick Shooting Suspect: 5 Facts You Need to Know…

by Alyssa Choiniere at Heavy.

Fantahun Girma Woldesenbet was identified by Frederick Police as the Navy corpsman accused of shooting and injuring two people at an industrial park in Frederick, Maryland before he was fatally shot by personnel at nearby Fort Detrick.

The U.S. Navy identified Woldesenbet as a 38-year-old hospital corpsman. Two victims were taken to a Baltimore hospital with critical injuries. The initial shooting was reported at Riverside Tech Park in the northeastern part of the city. The victims were also members of the Navy, authorities said. Officials identified them as US Navy Hospitalman Casey Nutt, 26, of Germantown and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Carlos Portugal, 36, of Frederick.

Frederick Police Chief Jason Lando said during a press conference Woldesenbet achieved the rank of E-4 and lived in Frederick. He was married, and the FBI interviewed his wife, according to WUSA9. He is from Virginia, according to Stars and Stripes. He was identified as a medical lab technician in 2019 meeting minutes from the Board of Regents Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences 208th Meeting.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Woldesenbet Was a Navy Medic Who Attended the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland as a Medical Lab Technician Student

Woldesenbet attended the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland as a medical lab technician student. He was projected to graduate in December 2019, according to a letter from the school’s chief academic officer and dean.

Here is the university’s list of expected December 2019 graduates, naming Waldesenbet:

Uniformed Services University of Health SciencesFantahun Woldesenbet was listed as an expected December 2019 graduate in a list provided by the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences.

Woldesenbet was stationed at Fort Detrick, law enforcement said. He was an E-4, or petty officer third class, Frederick Police Chief Jason Lando said during a press conference.

Woldesenbet achieved the rank of E-4 and lived in Frederick. Lando said the gunman used a rifle in the shooting. He lived in the city of Frederick, not on the military base, Lando said.

Woldesenbet was enlisted in September 2012 and was posted at the Naval Medical Research Center in Frederick in August 2019. During the seven-year period in between those assignments, he served at military facilities in San Antonio, Texas; Camp Lejeune in North Carolina; Corpus Christi, Texas; Bremerton, Washington; and Portsmouth, Virginia, according to CBS Local. During his time in the service, he was awarded a Good Conduct Medal, a National Defense Service Medal and a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

The location of the shooting was at a military institution in the tech park, according to Lando.

“It’s tied to the military, to the navy, and that’s where the shooting took place, so there is a connection to the navy there,” he said.

A motive is still under investigation, and authorities did not speculate about why Woldesenbet allegedly opened fire.

“We are still investigating motive, investigating the exact circumstances,” Army Brig. Gen. Michael J. Talley told reporters at an afternoon news conference.

2. Woldesenbet Was an E-4 Posted at Fort Detrick in Research & Development; He Lived Off Base With His Wife & 2 Children…