Report: Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, Alleged Tennessee Killer, Is Kuwaiti

Hamilton County Sheriffs Office via AP
Hamilton County Sheriffs Office via AP

The Chattanooga Times Free Press is reporting that Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, the alleged killer of 4 Marines in Chattanooga, is from Kuwait. A man with that same name graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2012 with a degree in engineering.

It’s not clear whether that person is Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez or his father.

Abdulazeez, who was killed by police during the shootings, is from Hixson, Tennessee. A Youssuf Abdulazeez owns property there appraised at $206,100. It’s not clear whether that person is Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez or his father. According to the Times Free Press:

A single shooter, described by witnesses as a white man driving a silver Ford Mustang convertible, began firing shots at 10:45 am at the Lee Highway recruiting center, then led police on a chase to the Amnicola Highway location, where further shots were fired.

A U.S. official says the gunman in the shootings in Tennessee has been identified as 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, according to the Associated Press.

He was believed to have been born in Kuwait, and it was unclear whether he was a U.S. or Kuwaiti citizen. The official was speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing, sensitive investigation. It was not immediately clear whether the gunman’s first name was spelled Muhammad or Mohammad.

A man named Youssuf Abdulazeez attended UTC, spokesman Chuck Cantrell said, and graduated in 2012 with a degree in engineering.

Abdulazeez is from Hixson, Tennessee, which is just a few miles across the river from Chattanooga.

Police in Hixson kicked a reporter out of the neighborhood that contained a house apparently owned by Abdulazeez. The reporter saw a SWAT team and FBI agents staging at a nearby strip mall. The house, which Hamilton County records is owned by Youssuf S. Abdulazeez, is appraised at $206,100 by the Hamilton County Assessor of Property.

At least four Marines were killed and one police officer was shot in the attacks at Amnicola Highway. Two others, a soldier and a police officer, were wounded in the attack, according to the Associated Press.

Dennis Pedigo, a Chattanooga police officer, is in stable condition.

Erlanger’s Trauma Center received three shooting victims, a Chattanooga police officer and two members of the military. One of those patients was discharged from Erlanger this afternoon; the other two are still being treated.

Officials have said the shooter is dead and that the active shooting situation has ended. The shooter did not work at either of the facilities, according to the FBI. Today’s attack came with no warning, the FBI said.

A sign on the outside of the Lee Highway location had a “no guns allowed” sign posted. During the news conference, the FBI confirmed that guns were generally prohibited at federal facilities.

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