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Saturday, July 18, 2015
Wounded Sailor in #ChattanoogaShootings Has Died (VIDEO)
Death toll climbs to five in presumed terror attack on Tennessee military facilities.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith, a reservist serving on active duty in Chattanooga, died Saturday morning from his injuries.
Mr. Smith, 26 years old, joined the Navy because he was inspired by the service of his late grandfather, said his step-grandmother, Darlene Proxmire. Mr. Smith was a married father of three girls and grew up in Paulding, Ohio, she said.
“He was an awesome young man and he’s going to be missed very badly by a lot of people,” she said.
Officials say the alleged gunman, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, 24, of Hixson, Tenn., was killed by police after firing repeatedly on military personnel.
Along with Mr. Smith, four Marines were killed in the attacks. A U.S. official and family members on Friday confirmed the identities of the deceased Marines: Thomas Sullivan, of Springfield, Mass.; Skip Wells, from Marietta, Ga.; David Wyatt, of Hixson, Tenn.; and Carson Holmquist, of Grantsburg, Wis.
Dennis Pedigo, a police officer injured in the shooting, is “in good spirits” and doing well, according to a family statement released by the police department on Friday evening.
The case is being handled as a terrorism investigation, though officials cautioned they still hadn’t determined a motive for the shooting. Federal Bureau of Investigation officials said they hadn’t yet found evidence of a connection to the Islamic State group. “At this time we have no indication that he was inspired by or directed by anyone other than himself,’’ said FBI Special Agent in Charge Edward Reinhold on Friday.
In the wake of the shooting, Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Saturday ordered state National Guard recruitment personnel at six storefront locations to relocate to the nearest armory until security can be improved at the sites and any terror threats could be evaluated.
Meanwhile, federal agents are scrutinizing a monthslong trip to Jordan by Mr. Abdulazeez in April 2014, according to people close to the investigation. He visited extended family, but the reason for his stay is under investigation, a person familiar with the matter said.
He had previously traveled to Jordan four other times, dating back to 2003, and went to Kuwait in 2008, these people said. Mr. Abdulazeez, who was born in Kuwait, was a naturalized American citizen, law-enforcement officials said.
Law-enforcement and intelligence agencies are now trying to determine if Mr. Abdulazeez made connections, or drew inspiration, on the Jordan trip to commit an act of violence once he returned to the U.S., the people close to the investigation said...
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