Top Stories Montgomery

At least three soldiers with Alabama ties were wounded during a shooting rampage this week at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas.

Media
reports say the injured include: Staff Sgt. Chad Davis, who has family
in Eufaula; Maj. Randy Royer of Dothan; and Warrant Officer Christopher
Royal, who went to Elmore County High School in Eclectic.

Retired
Army Col. Mike Davis told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer that his son,
32-year-old Chad Davis, was shot in the shoulder. He was released from
the hospital Friday, a day after the shooting that wounded 30 and left
13 dead.

The elder Davis said his son has been in the Army 14
years — including tours in Korea and Iraq — but he didn’t know why his
son was at the Soldier Readiness Center. Mike Davis said his son’s
wife, Megan, was headed to Fort Hood to visit him.

National Guard
officials said Royer, a member the 135th Expeditionary Sustainment
Command, was hurt in the gunfire. The unit left Alabama less than a
week ago to prepare for deployment later this year to Afghanistan.

Royer
was hospitalized and may require surgery, but Guard spokeswoman Lt.
Col. Cynthia Bachus told The Dothan Eagle his injuries were not
considered life-threatening. His wife, Tricia, was with him.

Neighbor Don Carter told the Eagle Royer is “very dependable” and is close to his family.

“This
neighborhood is very close-knit, so we knew to look out for his family.
They need to know they are not alone in this and are in all our
thoughts and prayers,” Carter said.

Tate Hoxworth, of Michelin North America, said Royer was a 20-year-employee of the tire plant in Dothan.

“Our
thoughts are with him, his family and all of those affected by this
incident. We have offered our full support to our colleague and his
family,” said a statement from the company.

Royal, who was shot in the back, was released from the hospital in time to eat dinner with his family Friday evening.

“I’m thanking God that I’m able to sit here and have dinner with my family once again,” he told The Birmingham News from Texas.

Royal also had a close call during a deployment to Iraq when a bomb exploded near him, said his uncle, Bobby Royal.

Royal’s
wife, Stephanie, is an Army captain and is scheduled to deploy to Iraq
next year, the News reported. The couple has a son, also named
Christopher.