Name-Calling Led to Walter Reed Shooting

WASHINGTON - The security guard at Walter Reed Army Medical Center -- accused of shooting at a co-worker outside the facility -- apparently thought the victim had been calling him names.

Dwan Thigpen, 34, of Fort Washington made his first court appearance Thursday and was ordered held without bond. Thigpen is accused of firing his gun more than a dozen times at his co-worker Terrance Jackson during an argument.

Police say Thigpen thought his co-worker called him "retarded." He's charged with assault with intent to kill. No one was injured in the incident outside a busy entrance to the medical center.

The surveillance video shows the two security guards arguing, and a third guard trying to break up the altercation.

"There is a brief struggle between the security guard and the suspect, where the third guard is apparently trying to stop the suspect from taking his gun out of his holster," Police Cmdr. Hilton Burton said.

The video then shows the first guard pulling out the gun, a 9 mm Beretta, and chasing and firing at the victim, and the victim running and trying to get out of the way.

Police say Jackson ran from the Army base, into the neighborhood and to a nearby house to call police. Thigpen admitted to police he had fired his gun at Jackson 15 times.

Thigpen's defense attorney argued that Thigpen should not be held because he is an Iraq war veteran and continues to serve in the Army reserves.

The guards worked for Vance Federal Security Services, said Joe Gavaghan, a spokesman for the company, which contracts with Walter Reed. Vance is "cooperating with authorities investigating this incident," said Gavaghan.

As for the screening of its guards, Gavaghan says the process is thorough.

"It is a full screening of the employees' background, utilizing a variety of different resources."

That is followed up training that he says goes above the industry training.

(Copyright 2007 by WTOP Radio and The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)