Washington Navy Yard Shooting Suspect Aaron Alexis Had Previous Weapons Charge

by Mary Stachyra Lopez 

The FBI has identified the suspect killed in the Washington Navy Yard shooting rampage as Aaron Alexis, 34, who apparently used his status as a contractor to gain access to the complex in Washington's Southeast quadrant.
Alexis was killed during a Monday morning shooting rampage at the Navy Yard that left at least 12 people dead.

While Alexis was apparently arrested, but never convicted, on a weapons charge, so far nothing is known about his service in the Navy that would raise red flags. In fact, the Navy had awarded Alexis a National Defense Service Medal and a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. 

He joined the Navy as a recruit in May 2007 in Great Lakes, Illinois, eventually making his way down to the Fleet Logistics Support Squadron in Fort Worth, Texas. He achieved the rank of Aviation Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class / AE3 on Dec. 16, 2009. 

According to The Washington Post, who quoted his aunt Helen Weeks, Aaron Alexis grew up in Brooklyn with his mother Sarah and father Anthony Alexis.

“We haven’t seen him for years,” Weeks told the paper in a telephone interview. “I know he was in the military. He served abroad. I think he was doing some kind of computer work.”

Nutpisit Suthamtewakul, owner of Happy Bowl Thai near Fort Worth, told the Forth Worth Star-Telegram Alexis was “my best friend.”

“He lived with me three years,” Suthamtewakul said. “I don’t think he’d do this. He has a gun, but I don’t think he’s that stupid. He didn’t seem aggressive to me.”

Upon learning of his death, Suthamtewakul said, “ ‘Wait, he’s dead? I call him, but he doesn’t answer phone.”

Information with the picture of Aaron Alexis, posted on MugshotsOnline.com, says he was arrested in 2010 for "discharge of firearm in certain municipalities" in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Washington Post reported that Alexis was currently an employee at The Experts, a subcontractor for Hewlett Packard.

The Fort-Lauderdale, Fla., based company with offices nationwide, including one in Alexandria, is a “provider of IT, engineering, telecom and business process solutions,”according to their website.

A company spokesman released the following statement about the incident:

“The Experts would like to express our deepest condolences and sympathies regarding the incident that occurred at the DC Naval Yards. We are actively cooperating with the FBI and other authorities in relation to the investigation on the suspect. Any additional information we have will be shared accordingly.”

According to NBC News, Alexis is a Ft. Worth, Texas, native and arrest record from Tarrant County in September 2010 shows he was arrested for discharging his weapon. 

The network reported that a neighbor called police “after hearing a bullet rip through her floor and ceiling. He told police he had been cleaning the weapon when it slipped and accidentally pulled the trigger. They filed the police report with the district attorney’s office but charges were never filed.”

Authorities ask anyone who has information on Alexis to contact the FBI's Washington, DC Field Office at 202/278-2000 or 1-800-CALL-FBI.