Navy Yard probe reveals 2013 shooting spree could be averted

A report produced by an investigative committee on the 2013 shooting incident at the Washington Navy Yard last year said that supervisors of the gunman could have reported his erratic behavior ahead of the fatal incident. Politico said 12 people were killed in the shooting spree.

"Had this information been reported, properly adjudicated and acted upon, [Aaron] Alexis' authorization to access secure facilities and information would have been revoked," the report read.

The investigation that was made public by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other top Pentagon officials pointed to the negligence of Alexis' employers, IT contractor HP and its subcontractor, The Experts, and said that the firms both have concerns about their employee's behavior but failed to act upon it. The Navy report also said that the failure to act, along with communication breakdowns about the gunman's documented history of instability and arrests had mean that the US government nor the vendors had not had a grasp of understanding about Alexis as a potential threat.

Politico said Alexis had entered the Navy Yard on September 16 last year using his own security access. He later shot people in the premises using a Remington 12-gauge shotgun he bought two days before the incident.

Referring to the need for the US Navy to strictly reinforce the need to comply laws and regulations which would mandate the need to report potential threats or problems by leaders and contractors, the report added, "The insider threat obtains and uses valid credentials to do damage from inside the force protection defenses. Inside these defenses, the department of the Navy works hard to build a climate of trust and teamwork. The insider threat uses that trust against the organization, exploiting the access they have. Defeating the insider threat will require an adjustment to behaviors and mindsets to not only trust, but verify."

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Washington Navy Yard shooting, Washington Navy Yard, Aaron Alexis

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