At approximately 3:10 p.m. MST on January 6 , 2015 , 48-year-old Jerry Serrato , an Ohio Army National Guardsman who later served in the regular U.S. Army , shot 63-year-old Timothy Fjordbak , a psychologist who left private practice to work with military veterans in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks . The incident resulted in a " code white " declaration at William Beaumont Army Medical Center , advising people that an active shooter was present and to take shelter . The shooting sparked a massive multi-agency response , with officers from Fort Bliss 's Military Police , the El Paso Police Department , the El Paso SWAT team , the El Paso Independent School District Police Department , the U.S. Department of Homeland Security 's Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agencies , and the Federal Bureau of Investigation responding to the report of an active shooter in the area . Ground personnel were reinforced by two Department of Homeland Security helicopters , both of which took up station in circular pattern around the VA clinic and hospital during the stand off . In addition , the nearby Bassett Middle School and Travis Elementary School went on lock-down following the reports of an active shooter in the area . After approximately two hours , the situation was reported to be under control , with initial reports indicating the doctor and the alleged shooter to have been killed . In the aftermath of the shooting , the FBI assumed responsibility for the investigation and began processing the estimated 400 witnesses for testimony while simultaneously collecting evidence from the VA center . In a press release shortly after the situation was resolved , it was announced that the hospital and VA clinic would be closed on Wednesday to allow the FBI to process the scene . Despite the two fatalities , the response to the active shooting was described as " a model of how to respond . " '' ' Jerry Serrato ' '' ( 1967 &ndash; January 6 , 2015 ) was identified as the shooter . He is said to have been a member of the Ohio Army National Guard , enlisting in 1985 and serving until 1996 . He later enlisted in the United States Army in July 2006 . Serrato served in Iraq as an infantryman with the 10th Mountain Division 's 89th Cavalry Regiment , 4th Brigade Combat Team at Fort Polk , Louisiana from March to July 2007 before being medically discharged with undisclosed physical ailments in February 2009 . At the time of his discharge , he held the rank of specialist , and had been awarded the National Defense Service Medal , the Iraq Campaign Medal with a campaign star , a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal , and the Army Service Ribbon
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
2015 Fort Bliss shooting