University students react to Navy Yard shooting

When 13 people died and eight were wounded in Monday’s Navy Yard shooting, the university community once again faced the tragedy of gun violence, this time a little farther from home but still searing.

Students and officials said it was a blow to their peace of mind and a painful reminder of February’s College Park murder-suicide. University veterans said the shooting was especially crushing to their community, which fears the shooting could hinder efforts to help veterans.

“When I first heard what happened, I said to myself, ‘I hope it’s not a veteran,’” said Brandon Yund, president of Terp Vets.

Washington’s Metropolitan Police identified the shooter as Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old Fort Worth, Texas, resident killed Monday during police efforts to contain the violence. As police delved deeper into Alexis’ past, they learned he was indeed a veteran of the Navy.

Veterans can be a vulnerable population, Yund said, and Terp Vets strives to aid and advocate for veterans and their families. They host social events, community service opportunities and workshops and provide a supportive network for veterans of all branches of the military.

They’re sympathetic to the victims of the shooting and their families, Yund said, but incidents like the Navy Yard shooting can hinder veterans in trying to build lives and careers.

“We do outreach and try to get people to see veterans in a positive light,” Yund said. “We worry every time a veteran does something like this or commits a crime; it gives all veterans a bad rep.

“It’s not necessarily because [the shooter] was a veteran. Maybe he had other problems.”

The incident has sparked discussion in the campus veteran community, said Brian Bertges, veteran student life coordinator, though no official action was being taken in response.

Officials at George Washington University’s Navy ROTC program, a cross-town affiliate of this university’s, declined a request for comment.

University veterans aren’t alone, however; students close to the scene said the incident left them feeling uneasy.

Prince George’s County Police and University Police told The Diamondback on Monday that they had increased visibility to make the community feel safer, an action also taken by Washington Metropolitan Police.

Sean Wallace, a sophomore information systems major, works at the U.S. Transportation Department, less than a mile from the Navy Yard’s main entrance.

Wallace was on his way to work Monday morning and was stuck in traffic when his supervisor called to tell him to stay away from the area.

“I was late to work through some unfortunate circumstances that I guess were lucky in the end,” he said.

For Wallace, the Navy Yard was a place to go for lunch, though it now holds a different meaning.

“It made me think,” he said. “I was extremely close to what was going on.”

He was disappointed in the media coverage, which he felt misrepresented the level of security at the Navy Yard. Only the guards at the front gates have weapons, he said, but beyond the gates, there is little protection.

“The illusion of security is there,” he said. “But it’s not as secure as people might think.”

Returning to work Tuesday, Wallace said his office seemed fairly normal, though the Yard remained on lockdown. Police cars were still posted at the entrances, and news reporters and photographers lined the streets.

University President Wallace Loh said the shooting is reminiscent of the murder-suicide that took place near the campus in February, when a mentally ill graduate student shot and killed one of his roommates and injured another in a College Park neighborhood.

“The shootings on our campus have taught us that a supportive community promotes healing,” Loh wrote in an email. “UMD offers its support and solidarity to the victims’ families and to the Navy community.”

Senior staff writer Yasmeen Abutaleb contributed to this report.