Soldier who charged at Ft. Hood gunman was shot 12 times before dying
TEXAS – An Army soldier who
died in the Fort Hood attack was shot 12
times as he charged Maj. Nidal Hasan, it
was revealed Thursday during Hasan's
court-martial.
Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain
City, Tenn., was identified as the solider
whose gunshot wounds were 'consistent'
with him trying to charge Hasan, Dr.
Phillip Berran, a pathologist, said. He
reviewed photos of Greene's body for the
judge before jurors were led into the
courtroom.
Greene, who was married with two
children, and was known as the 'Silent
Soldier' around base because he was laid-
back. He was active at Baker's Gap Baptist
Church in his hometown while he was
growing up, Glenn Arney, the church's
former superintendent and a former co-
worker, said shortly after the November
2009 shooting.
"I went to church with him, knew him all
of his life. He was one of the finest boys
you ever saw," Arney said.
Greene's family issued a statement shortly
after his death that said, "Fred was a
loved and loving son, husband and
father, and often acted as the protector
of his family. Even before joining the
Army, he exemplified the Army values of
loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service,
honor, integrity and personal courage.
Many of his fellow soldiers told us he was
the quiet professional of the unit, never
complaining about a job, and often
volunteering when needed."
Stars and Stripes reports that Greene was
shot so many times, it was difficult to
determine the path the bullets took, and
the pathologist had to use a metal rod to
determine the trajectory.
Berran said that he also performed an
autopsy on Aaron Nemelka, 19, from West
Jordan, Utah, who was the youngest
soldier killed in the shooting and was
apparently excited about his first
deployment. Nemelka, was shot three
times and that his wounds were
consistent with being shot while lying on
the ground.
Nemelka was among at least five victims
who were shot while lying down,
according to testimony from several
pathologists this week. Among those
victims was the lone civilian killed in the
attack, physician's assistant Michael Grant
Cahill, who witnesses said tried to charge
Hasan during the shootings armed only
with a chair.
A former colleague of Hasan testified
about how he identified the wounded
Army psychiatrist in the chaotic moments
following the shooting, including the
shooting of Hasan by police.
"I had no way to medically evaluate his
condition," said retired Maj. Clifford
Hopewell, who was chief of the traumatic
brain injury division at Fort Hood. "I
thought he was dead. He was prone on
the ground and wasn't moving."
Hopewell said he thought he heard
semiautomatic weapons fire, looked
outside and heard screams and people
running toward his building in the same
complex where the gunfire broke out.
Hasan was lying on the ground near a
telephone pole, he said, using a diagram
while on the witness stand.
"A lot of people were on the ground in
that area, but that's where he was,"
Hopewell said.
Asked by the prosecutor, Maj. Larry
Downend, if the man he identified was in
the courtroom, Hopewell replied, looking
toward Hasan: "Yes. This person sitting
right here."
“It's Nidal."
Hasan — who is acting as his own
attorney — raised no objections and
didn't question any of the witnesses
Thursday, which has largely been his
strategy since the trial began last week.
The Army psychiatrist's lack of defense so
far has allowed prosecutors to call more
than 70 witnesses, indicating that the trial
could wrap up far sooner than the
months-long timeline originally
announced by the judge.
The military defense attorneys who have
been ordered to help Hasan during the
trial have accused Hasan of trying to
convince jurors to convict him and
sentence him to death. Hasan has
disputed those claims, calling them a twist
of the facts.
But he recently authorized the release of a
report that shows he told military mental
health experts after the attack that he
"would still be a martyr" if he were
convicted and executed by the
government. The report was released by
Hasan's civil attorney to the New York
Times, which posted it online, but
prosecutors were ordered by the judge
not to read it.
Hasan is accused of opening fire on
unarmed soldiers. He faces the death
penalty if convicted.
After a frenetic four days in which more
than 60 people testified, the pace has
slowed as prosecutors have called
investigators and experts to describe how
Hasan carried out the shooting.
Hasan acknowledges the evidence against
him shows he was the shooter and has
put up a minimal defense.
