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.”

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.

NBC News reported Alexis is a Ft. Worth, Texas, native who recently worked as a civilian contractor. An arrest record from Tarrant County in September 2010 shows he was arrested for discharging his weapon.

According to the network, 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 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.