(Reuters) - The U.S. Navy on Tuesday ordered a review of security at all of its facilities as questions arose about how a former serviceman with a history of violence and mental illness received clearance to work at a base where he killed 12 people before police shot him dead.
The suspect, Aaron Alexis, 34, a Navy contractor from Fort Worth, Texas, entered Washington Navy Yard on Monday morning and opened fire, spreading panic at the base just a mile and a half from the U.S. Capitol and three miles from the White House.
Alexis' employer said he worked in at least six installations in July and August without incident. Alexis was employed by a company called The Experts, a subcontractor for Hewlett-Packard that serviced computer equipment, the company said.
He had been given clearance to enter the base on the Anacostia River despite two gun-related brushes with the law and a discharge from the Navy Reserve in 2011 after a series of what a Navy official described as "misconduct issues."
CNN reported that Alexis had contacted two Veterans Administration hospitals recently and was believed to be seeking psychological help.
"It really is hard to believe that someone with a record as checkered as this man could conceivably get, you know, clearance to get ... credentials to be able to get on the base," Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray told CNN.
In the wake of the latest mass shooting in the United States and questions about security at guarded buildings, U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on Tuesday ordered a review of physical security at all Navy and Marine Corps installations.
A Navy official said authorities would first take a "quick look" at installations to ensure existing physical security standards are being met. The second review will be larger and more in-depth, the official said.
