Overview
- Two Fort Hood military police officers responded to a reported fight at Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area late Saturday night, May 23, and multiple shots broke out during their attempt to disperse the crowd.
- One civilian was transported to a hospital and later died, a second non–DoD-affiliated civilian remains hospitalized in stable condition, and a service member received minor injuries and was treated and released.
- Social-media video shows military police trying to clear the scene and an officer firing as more than a dozen shots were heard, but the footage does not show how the gunfire began.
- The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division has opened a preliminary inquiry, officials say there is no active threat, no arrests or charges have been announced, and investigators are asking the public to submit tips.
- Belton Lake is run by Fort Hood’s MWR program but is open to the public, and neighbors have renewed calls for stricter screening or security after this shooting and a prior incident at the site last June, a change that could affect civilian access and on-base policing questions.