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FORT HOOD (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ― A U.S. Army major shot and killed 12 people and wounded 31 others at Fort Hood Thursday afternoon. 

Military officials in Washington identified the shooter as Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a psychiatrist.

Lt. General Bob Cone, the commanding general at Ft. Hood, says the gunman was shot and is now in military custody at a Killeen-area hospital.

Reports that the suspect was killed were corrected as "confusion at the hospital."

Lt. Gen. Cone said Hasan's death was "not imminent."

A female civilian officer who was also reportedly killed was confirmed to be alive and stable.  The officer was credited as the person who shot Major Hasan.
 
Three other soldiers who were taken into custody as part of the investigation were released Thursday evening.

The gunman used two handguns, according to Cone.  He said the motive is still unknown.

Cone says the shooting happened at a personnel processing center called the Soldier Readiness Center, which is comprised of several buildings.  Cone says the shooting took place only at the processing center.

The shooting started at 1:30 Thursday afternoon.

"It's a terrible tragedy. It's stunning," Cone said.

The post was immediately put on lockdown, but that state of emergency ended just after 7 p.m. when the post was reopened.

The wounded were sent to hospitals across Central Texas, Cone said.  Scott & White Hospital, a major trauma center in Temple, said it had received nine shooting victims.

Military officials in Washington say the Hasan was a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for six years before being transferred to Ft. Hood in July.

Those same officials, who did not want to be named, say Hasan received a poor performance evaluation while at Walter Reed.

Reports have surfaced that military officials "had concerns" about Hasan for at least six months because of internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats.

U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison says she was told Hasan was about to deploy overseas.  It's not clear whether he was going to Iraq or Afghanistan and exactly when he was scheduled to leave.

The Virginia-born soldier was single with no children. He graduated from Virginia Tech University, where he was a member of the ROTC and earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 1997. He received his medical degree from the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., in 2001. At Walter Reed, he did his internship, residency and a fellowship.

Officials were investigating whether Hasan is his birth name or if he may have changed his name, possibly as part of a conversion to Islam. However, they were not certain of his religion.

FBI agent Eric Vasys in the Bureau's San Antonio office says agents were headed to the post as part of the investigation.  Governor Rick Perry said Texas Rangers were also being deployed to the post to assist.

Gen. Cone said Army investigators would work with the FBI to look into the backgrounds of the soldiers involved.

The Soldier Readiness Center holds hundreds of people and is one of the most populated parts of the base, said Steve Moore, a spokesman for III Corps at Fort Hood. Nearby there are barracks and a food center where there are fast food chains.

A graduation ceremony for soldiers who finished college courses while deployed was going on nearby at the time of the shooting, said Sgt. Rebekah Lampman, a Fort Hood spokeswoman.

In a statement, Sen. Hutchison said, "I am shocked and saddened by todays outburst of violence at Fort Hood that has cost seven of our brave service members their lives and has gravely injured others. My heart goes out to their loved ones. Our dedicated military personnel have sacrificed so much in service to our country, and it sickens me that the men and women of Fort Hood have been subjected to this senseless, random violence."

Governor Rick Perry also issued a statement, which read, "The Texas family suffered a significant loss today with the tragedy at Fort Hood. Along with all Texans, Anita and I are keeping those affected by today's incidents in our thoughts and prayers.  We are deeply saddened by today's events, but resolve to continue supporting our troops and protecting our citizens."

Fort Hood is the largest U.S. Army post in the world, covering 339 square miles.  Tens of thousands of soldiers are stationed there. 

18 major Army units are stationed at the post, including the 1st Cavalry Division and parts of the 4th Infantry Division.  It's about 160 miles south of Dallas/Fort Worth, adjacent to the city of Killeen in Central Texas.

The Red Cross has set up a web site to allow people to check on their loved ones at Fort Hood.  The address is safeandwell.org.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)