Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- An Army officer testifying at a military hearing Wednesday that he first thought the rapid rate of gunfire suggested there was more than one shooter in last November's Fort Hood massacre.
Maj. Stephen Richter of the Army Medical Corps told in chilling detail that he felt the shooter stalking him and could see the red laser from the gunsight flickering in his eyes.
He said the gunman then turned away from him, distracted by gunfire from the civilian police officers who had rushed to the scene.
Richter, testifying via video link from South Korea, said all the shooting ceased when Maj. Nidal Hasan was brought down by police fire. Hasan is charged with killing 13 people and wounding dozens of others in the rampage.
Richter said he called out when he saw the gunman's uniform and identification badge. "I remember saying to the police officer, 'He is one of us,'" Richter said.
Still convinced there were other shooters, Richter said that after Hasan was felled by the police fire, he grabbed Hasan's handgun off the ground and prepared to fire it himself at any additional attackers. The gun was jammed, he said, and he burned his fingers on the barrel as he tried to clear it.
The barrel was hot from firing what apparently was scores of rounds.
In earlier testimony, Army Criminal Investigation Division special agent Kelly Jameson said 146 spent shell casings had been collected. Sources close the prosecution later clarified that he was referring only to those found inside the building where the shooting began. Another 68 were collected outside, for a total of 214, they said.
And Army investigators said Wednesday that the gunman still had 177 rounds on him when he was shot by police.
CNN
