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1 wounded in shooting at US Army post in Texas

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[June 11, 2013]  SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- An instructor at an Army medical training school at a military base in Texas was wounded Monday when a fellow service member shot her outside her office, authorities said.

The suspect later surrendered to police, and authorities say no one else was ever in danger.

Col. Jim Chevallier, vice commander of 502 Air Base Wing, would not give the identity of the shooter or victim or discuss any possible relationship between the two. But San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told the San Antonio Express-News that the victim and shooter were involved in a relationship.

The incident took place at Fort Sam Houston's Army Medical Department Center and School at about 2:50 p.m. Authorities said the shooter was a soldier who came into the victim's office and began talking to her. The pair then continued a discussion on a veranda outside the building, where the shooter eventually fired multiple shots from a handgun, Chevallier said.

It was not clear how many shots were fired. The victim's co-workers are medical professionals, and they were the first to attend to her wounds, Chevallier said. She remained hospitalized on post late Monday and was in stable condition.

Chevallier said the shooter got in his car and drove away from the medical center. He later parked and try to flee on foot while still within the base, but thought better of it.

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"It started as a conversation," Col. Randy Anderson said. "He came into her office space, and then she took him out of the building. It occurred there."

Matt Barido, deputy director of the 502 Wing Security Forces, said the shooter then called his lawyer, who contacted the San Antonio Police Department and told them where to find him.

The suspect is in custody at Fort Sam Houston, but authorities wouldn't say if he's been charged.

Authorities locked down the base for about two hours while military police cleared the building where the shooting took place.

Fort Sam Houston is one of the oldest U.S. military bases still in operation and is located in central San Antonio. Besides hosting one of the nation's top burn units, most army medics undergo training there.

In November 2009 at Fort Hood, Texas, 13 soldiers and civilians were killed and more than two dozen wounded when a gunman walked into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center and opened fire.

Asked if the Fort Hood shooting rampaged led to more training for shootings on bases, Brig Gen. Robert LaBrutta, commander of the 502 Air Base Wing, responded: "The bottom line is that we train for this. We're prepared for this."

[Associated Press; By PAUL J. WEBER]

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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