Suspected Fort Hood, Texas shooter is Vinton resident, Virginia Tech grad - Roanoke.com

Hometown newspaper on Major Hasan.

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is the son of Palestinian immigrants and Vinton residents Malik Awadallah Hassan and Hanan Ismail "Nora" Hasan. Nora Hasan ran the now defunct Capitol Restaurant on the Roanoke Market. Hasan's father owned the Mount Olive Grill and Bar and the Community Grocery Store on Elm Avenue. Both parents are deceased.

a U.S. citizen and was registered to vote in 2001 and 2004 in Virginia, with an address in Vinton. He had also lived at one point lived in Roanoke, records show, according to the Post.

received a poor performance evaluation while at Walter Reed.

The Virginia-born soldier is single with no children. He is 39 years old.

He is a graduate of Virginia Tech University, where he was a member of the ROTC and earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 1995. 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.

The following blog quote is alledged:  "To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause," said the Internet posting. "Scholars have paralled (sic) this to suicide bombers whose intention, by sacrificing their lives, is to help save Muslims by killing enemy soldiers."

Suspected Fort Hood, Texas shooter is Vinton resident, Virginia Tech grad - Roanoke.com