Early Monday morning, tragedy struck the nation in it’s own capitol. Twelve innocent people were killed in a shoot-out in the DC shipyard. The body of the criminal was identified as 34 year-old Aaron Alexis. According to law enforcement officials, multiple weapons were found on him, including an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun, and a semi-automatic handgun.

Aaron was a contractor for the military, and a retired reservist according to officials. In the shooting, he used this to advantage by driving a rental car to the gate and using his identity as a contractor to get in. Outside of Building 197, the Sea System Command Headquarters, Aaron shot two men: an officer and another man.

From there, he made his way to a floor overlooking the main atrium, where he began shooting the people eating below. “This was where he did the most damage,” according to an account from one of the victims.

The names of seven of the victims were released late Monday: Michael Arnold, 59; Sylvia Frasier, 53; Kathy Gaarde, 62; John Roger Johnson, 73; Frank Kohler, 50; Kenneth Bernard Proctor, 46; and Vishnu Pandit, 61. The names of the other victims will be updated when the families are contacted.

Eight people were injured. Three of them were shot, including officer Scott Williams of the Washington PD. The others suffered injuries from falls or reported of chest pains. Officer Williams, who served in the canine unit, underwent several hours of surgery for gunshot wounds to his legs. A second victim suffered a gunshot wound to her shoulder. A bullet grazed a third victim’s head but did not cause serious damage to her skull, according to doctors at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

Navy Officials said that in 2011, Aaron was dishonorably discharged due to a “frequent pattern of misbehavior.” A year before, Aaron was arrested in Fort Worth for discharging a firearm. In the investigation file, this happened after he confronted a neighbor in the parking lot for making too much noise. In a 2004 Seattle police report, he was again arrested, this time for shooting out the tires of another man’s vehicle. Aaron had said it was an “anger-fueled blackout.”

To keep from causing a massive panic throughout Washington DC, the officials did not move to close down the subways, but cautiously put the senate building into lockdown around 3 P.M. To further shock the city, a man was tackled by the secret services outside the White House, for throwing a firecracker over the wall causing panic along the street.

Mayor Vincent C. Gray called it a “long, tragic day.” President Obama praised the victims of the shooting as patriots.

It’s bad enough that these people risk their lives every time they go over-seas, let alone risking their lives on home soil. Our thoughts and condolences go to the families of the victims.