Roommate: Navy Yard Shooter Buddhist

Aaron Alexis, the man identified as the shooter at the Washington Navy Yard, was a Buddhist according to one of his friends. Former roommate Nutpisit Sathamtewakul, who owns Happy Bowl Thai in White Settlement, told local media that Alexis worked at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Ft. Worth, Texas. He worked there from 2007 to 2011, and left the Navy as a petty officer 3^rd class on January 31, 2011. According to Sathamtewakul, Alexis practiced Buddhism. Alexis, said his roommate, never showed aggression, but owned a concealed handgun license. On September 4, 2010, he was arrested for shooting a round through the apartment of a neighbor living above him. He was not charged, with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office stating, “After reviewing the facts presented by the police department, it was determined that the elements constituting recklessness under Texas law were not present and a case was not filed.”

Alexis visited Thailand recently, according to his friend, and had traveled to Japan with a computer defense contractor, according to a customer of Happy Bowl and copy editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. His landlord described him as well-behaved and calm.