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com
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Navy Yard shooter Aaron
Alexis was 'not happy with
America,' friend says
BY MARK POTTER AND CHARLES HADLOCK, NBC NEWS
Aaron Alexis in an undated handout photograph provided by Kristi
Suthamtewakul, wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit
Suthamtewakul,
FORTWORTH,TexasAaronAlexiswassounhappy
withhislifeinAmericawherehewasbesetbymoney
woesandfeltslightedasaveteranthathewas"readyto
move out of the country" last year, a friend said Tuesday.
Navy Yard shooter sought
mental health treatment,
officials say
advertisement
"He was tired of dealing with the government," said Kristi
Suthamtewkal, whose husband owns the Thai Bowl
Restaurant in Fort Worth, where Alexis worked in
exchange for room and board.
But instead of leaving the U.S., the former Navy reservist
relocated from Texas to Virginia, where an IT company
called The Experts put him on a government contract at
the Washington Navy Yard.
A day after Alexis, 34, gunned down 12 people at the
yard,newdetailsemergedofhistroubledpastfromhis
preoccupation with 9/11 to recent mental problems that
included hearing voices in his head.
Investigators said Tuesday that a preliminary probe has
turned up no evidence that Alexis participated in rescue
operations at Ground Zero, as his father once told police.
He was, however, employed as a clerical worker at the
Borough of Manhattan Community College, in the
shadow of the Twin Towers, when they were destroyed
on Sept. 11, 2001.
Hetalkedabout9/11andwherehewasandhowthe
buildingshadcollapsedandhecouldntbelieve
that...and how he was upset with the terrorists for taking
innocent lives," Suthamtewkal said.
Aaron Alexis in an undated photograph provided by Kristi Suthamtewakul,
wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit Suthamtewakul.
Melinda Downs, who took in Alexis after he moved out of
the Suthamtewkals' house last year, said he told her he
suffered from post-traumatic stress after "surviving 9/11 in
New York."
And when Alexis was arrested in Seattle in 2004, for
shooting at a parked car in what he called an "anger-
fueled blackout," he brought up 9/11 during his
interrogation and "how those events had disturbed him,"
police said.
Three years after that arrest, Alexis enlisted in the Navy
Reservesandservedasanaviationelectrician'smatea
thirdclasspettyofficerbeforehewasgivenan
honorable discharge in J anuary 2011.
Military officials acknowledged that Alexis had disciplinary
issues including absence without permission,
insubordination and disorderly conduct.
Among the problems: an arrest in September 2010 by
Fort Worth police after he accidentally fired a bullet into
the apartment above him while he was cleaning a gun
with slippery hands. Prosecutors determined that there
wasntenoughevidencetobringarecklessnesscase.
After his discharge, Alexis began an online course in
aeronautics with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
He worshiped at a Buddhist Temple and was befriended
by Suthamtewkal's husband, Oui, who " took him under
his wing and took care of him."
He was given a room at their house in exchange for help
at the restaurant, where he was one of the more popular
waiters.
"Everybody loved him," Kristi Suthamtewkal said.
He spent a lot of time in his room, burning incense, she
said. Michael Ritrobato, a handyman at the restaurant,
said Alexis played violent online video games but was
good-natured, not angry.
After he returned from a contract job in J apan in Nov.
2012, he didn't seem as easy-going, though.
He felt like he had been cheated out of money from the
contract and complained that he was mistreated because
he was black, Kristi Suthamtewkal said.
"He felt a lot of discrimination and and racism with white
people especially," she said.
There was also a growing sense of entitlement and
disrespect, she said. "He did have the tendency to feel
like people owed him something all the time."
He got annoyed when she couldn't give him rides, and
he started eating the couple's food without permission,
and ignoring her when she complained, she said. When
her cats developed fleas, he was angry.
Mostly, though, she felt like he was fed up with the United
States.
Aaron Alexis in a Fort Worth Police Department handout photo.
IknewhewasnothappywithAmericaandhefelt
slighted as a veteran and he was ready to move out of the
country," she said.
When he abruptly left their house in J uly, he went to live
with Melinda and Marvin Downs.
"He would get really quiet sometimes, put his head
down," Melinda said. "You would see him in thought but
not in rage, not angry at the world."
After he left Fort Worth for a series of jobs on the East
Coast, Alexis kept in touch with the Downses. The last
they heard from him, on Sept. 9, he said everything was
going well in Washington.
Even before Monday morning, though, there were signs
that wasn't true.
He sought treatment with the Veterans Administration for
paranoia and hearing voices in two states.
In August, Newport, R.I., police were called to a Marriott
Hotel room where Alexis said he was being followed by
three people and heard voices coming from his closet.
He couldn't sleep because he thought they were using a
microwave machine to send vibrations through the
ceiling, the police report says.
His small circle of friends in Fort Worth say they saw no
evidence of mental illness or aggression and struggled to
reconcile the accusations against their friend with the
man they knew.
"I don't know him as a monster. I choose to rather
remember him as being the jokester. An honorable
youngmannottheonethatflippedoutandjustwentoff
on everybody," Melinda Downs said.
Kristi Suthamtewkal recalled his devotion to the Wat
Busayadhammavanaram temple.
"Buddhism is a religion of peace," she said. "It does not
make sense."
Pete Williams, J im Miklaszewski, Richard Esposito,
J onathan Dienst and Shimon Prokupecz also contributed
to this report.
Navy Yard shooter had
history of psychiatric
problems
advertisement
FROM AROUND THE WEB
Seriously, Stop Refrigerating These
Foods (Refrigerator Info)
MoneyCantBuyWhatthisFamily
Found on their Boat (Discover Boating)
5 Cars Destined to Fail Before Ever
Getting Off the Ground(Wall Street Cheat
Sheet)
Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia and
Chronic Fatigue Linked; Widespread
Misdiagnosis and Wrong Treatment
(Shea Medical)
Teenage Girl Murdered By Her
Boyfriend Found With Cement Blocks
Tied To Her Body(RadarOnline)
MORE FROM NBC NEWS
Man Shot While Cleaning Neighbor's
Gutters (NBC News)
Couple Moving Into New Apartment
Finds Python in Couch(NBC Los Angeles)
Father-In-Chief: Photos Celebrate
Obama and First Daughters (NBC News)
Grandson makes dream come true for
grandfather who taught him 'hard work,
love and persistence always pay off'
(TODAY)
'What we've been waiting for': Twin
boys surgically separated head
home(TODAY)
First published September 17th 2013, 5:39 pm
Sep 17

menu
HOME LATEST SEARCH
PREVIEW OUR BETA HOMEPAGE
And let us know what you think
Generated with www.html-to-pdf.net Page 1 / 6
About Us Careers Contact PrivacyPolicyUPDATED Terms of Service Site map Advertise AdChoices Outlook.com
2014 NBCNews.com
LOAD MORE
NEWS / OTHER
advertisment
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advertisment
advertisment
Navy Yard shooter Aaron
Alexis was 'not happy with
America,' friend says
BY MARK POTTER AND CHARLES HADLOCK, NBC NEWS
Aaron Alexis in an undated handout photograph provided by Kristi
Suthamtewakul, wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit
Suthamtewakul,
FORTWORTH,TexasAaronAlexiswassounhappy
withhislifeinAmericawherehewasbesetbymoney
woesandfeltslightedasaveteranthathewas"readyto
move out of the country" last year, a friend said Tuesday.
Navy Yard shooter sought
mental health treatment,
officials say
advertisement
"He was tired of dealing with the government," said Kristi
Suthamtewkal, whose husband owns the Thai Bowl
Restaurant in Fort Worth, where Alexis worked in
exchange for room and board.
But instead of leaving the U.S., the former Navy reservist
relocated from Texas to Virginia, where an IT company
called The Experts put him on a government contract at
the Washington Navy Yard.
A day after Alexis, 34, gunned down 12 people at the
yard,newdetailsemergedofhistroubledpastfromhis
preoccupation with 9/11 to recent mental problems that
included hearing voices in his head.
Investigators said Tuesday that a preliminary probe has
turned up no evidence that Alexis participated in rescue
operations at Ground Zero, as his father once told police.
He was, however, employed as a clerical worker at the
Borough of Manhattan Community College, in the
shadow of the Twin Towers, when they were destroyed
on Sept. 11, 2001.
Hetalkedabout9/11andwherehewasandhowthe
buildingshadcollapsedandhecouldntbelieve
that...and how he was upset with the terrorists for taking
innocent lives," Suthamtewkal said.
Aaron Alexis in an undated photograph provided by Kristi Suthamtewakul,
wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit Suthamtewakul.
Melinda Downs, who took in Alexis after he moved out of
the Suthamtewkals' house last year, said he told her he
suffered from post-traumatic stress after "surviving 9/11 in
New York."
And when Alexis was arrested in Seattle in 2004, for
shooting at a parked car in what he called an "anger-
fueled blackout," he brought up 9/11 during his
interrogation and "how those events had disturbed him,"
police said.
Three years after that arrest, Alexis enlisted in the Navy
Reservesandservedasanaviationelectrician'smatea
thirdclasspettyofficerbeforehewasgivenan
honorable discharge in J anuary 2011.
Military officials acknowledged that Alexis had disciplinary
issues including absence without permission,
insubordination and disorderly conduct.
Among the problems: an arrest in September 2010 by
Fort Worth police after he accidentally fired a bullet into
the apartment above him while he was cleaning a gun
with slippery hands. Prosecutors determined that there
wasntenoughevidencetobringarecklessnesscase.
After his discharge, Alexis began an online course in
aeronautics with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
He worshiped at a Buddhist Temple and was befriended
by Suthamtewkal's husband, Oui, who " took him under
his wing and took care of him."
He was given a room at their house in exchange for help
at the restaurant, where he was one of the more popular
waiters.
"Everybody loved him," Kristi Suthamtewkal said.
He spent a lot of time in his room, burning incense, she
said. Michael Ritrobato, a handyman at the restaurant,
said Alexis played violent online video games but was
good-natured, not angry.
After he returned from a contract job in J apan in Nov.
2012, he didn't seem as easy-going, though.
He felt like he had been cheated out of money from the
contract and complained that he was mistreated because
he was black, Kristi Suthamtewkal said.
"He felt a lot of discrimination and and racism with white
people especially," she said.
There was also a growing sense of entitlement and
disrespect, she said. "He did have the tendency to feel
like people owed him something all the time."
He got annoyed when she couldn't give him rides, and
he started eating the couple's food without permission,
and ignoring her when she complained, she said. When
her cats developed fleas, he was angry.
Mostly, though, she felt like he was fed up with the United
States.
Aaron Alexis in a Fort Worth Police Department handout photo.
IknewhewasnothappywithAmericaandhefelt
slighted as a veteran and he was ready to move out of the
country," she said.
When he abruptly left their house in J uly, he went to live
with Melinda and Marvin Downs.
"He would get really quiet sometimes, put his head
down," Melinda said. "You would see him in thought but
not in rage, not angry at the world."
After he left Fort Worth for a series of jobs on the East
Coast, Alexis kept in touch with the Downses. The last
they heard from him, on Sept. 9, he said everything was
going well in Washington.
Even before Monday morning, though, there were signs
that wasn't true.
He sought treatment with the Veterans Administration for
paranoia and hearing voices in two states.
In August, Newport, R.I., police were called to a Marriott
Hotel room where Alexis said he was being followed by
three people and heard voices coming from his closet.
He couldn't sleep because he thought they were using a
microwave machine to send vibrations through the
ceiling, the police report says.
His small circle of friends in Fort Worth say they saw no
evidence of mental illness or aggression and struggled to
reconcile the accusations against their friend with the
man they knew.
"I don't know him as a monster. I choose to rather
remember him as being the jokester. An honorable
youngmannottheonethatflippedoutandjustwentoff
on everybody," Melinda Downs said.
Kristi Suthamtewkal recalled his devotion to the Wat
Busayadhammavanaram temple.
"Buddhism is a religion of peace," she said. "It does not
make sense."
Pete Williams, J im Miklaszewski, Richard Esposito,
J onathan Dienst and Shimon Prokupecz also contributed
to this report.
Navy Yard shooter had
history of psychiatric
problems
advertisement
FROM AROUND THE WEB
Seriously, Stop Refrigerating These
Foods (Refrigerator Info)
MoneyCantBuyWhatthisFamily
Found on their Boat (Discover Boating)
5 Cars Destined to Fail Before Ever
Getting Off the Ground(Wall Street Cheat
Sheet)
Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia and
Chronic Fatigue Linked; Widespread
Misdiagnosis and Wrong Treatment
(Shea Medical)
Teenage Girl Murdered By Her
Boyfriend Found With Cement Blocks
Tied To Her Body(RadarOnline)
MORE FROM NBC NEWS
Man Shot While Cleaning Neighbor's
Gutters (NBC News)
Couple Moving Into New Apartment
Finds Python in Couch(NBC Los Angeles)
Father-In-Chief: Photos Celebrate
Obama and First Daughters (NBC News)
Grandson makes dream come true for
grandfather who taught him 'hard work,
love and persistence always pay off'
(TODAY)
'What we've been waiting for': Twin
boys surgically separated head
home(TODAY)
First published September 17th 2013, 5:39 pm
Sep 17

menu
HOME LATEST SEARCH
PREVIEW OUR BETA HOMEPAGE
And let us know what you think
Generated with www.html-to-pdf.net Page 2 / 6
About Us Careers Contact PrivacyPolicyUPDATED Terms of Service Site map Advertise AdChoices Outlook.com
2014 NBCNews.com
LOAD MORE
NEWS / OTHER
advertisment
advertisement
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
Navy Yard shooter Aaron
Alexis was 'not happy with
America,' friend says
BY MARK POTTER AND CHARLES HADLOCK, NBC NEWS
Aaron Alexis in an undated handout photograph provided by Kristi
Suthamtewakul, wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit
Suthamtewakul,
FORTWORTH,TexasAaronAlexiswassounhappy
withhislifeinAmericawherehewasbesetbymoney
woesandfeltslightedasaveteranthathewas"readyto
move out of the country" last year, a friend said Tuesday.
Navy Yard shooter sought
mental health treatment,
officials say
advertisement
"He was tired of dealing with the government," said Kristi
Suthamtewkal, whose husband owns the Thai Bowl
Restaurant in Fort Worth, where Alexis worked in
exchange for room and board.
But instead of leaving the U.S., the former Navy reservist
relocated from Texas to Virginia, where an IT company
called The Experts put him on a government contract at
the Washington Navy Yard.
A day after Alexis, 34, gunned down 12 people at the
yard,newdetailsemergedofhistroubledpastfromhis
preoccupation with 9/11 to recent mental problems that
included hearing voices in his head.
Investigators said Tuesday that a preliminary probe has
turned up no evidence that Alexis participated in rescue
operations at Ground Zero, as his father once told police.
He was, however, employed as a clerical worker at the
Borough of Manhattan Community College, in the
shadow of the Twin Towers, when they were destroyed
on Sept. 11, 2001.
Hetalkedabout9/11andwherehewasandhowthe
buildingshadcollapsedandhecouldntbelieve
that...and how he was upset with the terrorists for taking
innocent lives," Suthamtewkal said.
Aaron Alexis in an undated photograph provided by Kristi Suthamtewakul,
wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit Suthamtewakul.
Melinda Downs, who took in Alexis after he moved out of
the Suthamtewkals' house last year, said he told her he
suffered from post-traumatic stress after "surviving 9/11 in
New York."
And when Alexis was arrested in Seattle in 2004, for
shooting at a parked car in what he called an "anger-
fueled blackout," he brought up 9/11 during his
interrogation and "how those events had disturbed him,"
police said.
Three years after that arrest, Alexis enlisted in the Navy
Reservesandservedasanaviationelectrician'smatea
thirdclasspettyofficerbeforehewasgivenan
honorable discharge in J anuary 2011.
Military officials acknowledged that Alexis had disciplinary
issues including absence without permission,
insubordination and disorderly conduct.
Among the problems: an arrest in September 2010 by
Fort Worth police after he accidentally fired a bullet into
the apartment above him while he was cleaning a gun
with slippery hands. Prosecutors determined that there
wasntenoughevidencetobringarecklessnesscase.
After his discharge, Alexis began an online course in
aeronautics with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
He worshiped at a Buddhist Temple and was befriended
by Suthamtewkal's husband, Oui, who " took him under
his wing and took care of him."
He was given a room at their house in exchange for help
at the restaurant, where he was one of the more popular
waiters.
"Everybody loved him," Kristi Suthamtewkal said.
He spent a lot of time in his room, burning incense, she
said. Michael Ritrobato, a handyman at the restaurant,
said Alexis played violent online video games but was
good-natured, not angry.
After he returned from a contract job in J apan in Nov.
2012, he didn't seem as easy-going, though.
He felt like he had been cheated out of money from the
contract and complained that he was mistreated because
he was black, Kristi Suthamtewkal said.
"He felt a lot of discrimination and and racism with white
people especially," she said.
There was also a growing sense of entitlement and
disrespect, she said. "He did have the tendency to feel
like people owed him something all the time."
He got annoyed when she couldn't give him rides, and
he started eating the couple's food without permission,
and ignoring her when she complained, she said. When
her cats developed fleas, he was angry.
Mostly, though, she felt like he was fed up with the United
States.
Aaron Alexis in a Fort Worth Police Department handout photo.
IknewhewasnothappywithAmericaandhefelt
slighted as a veteran and he was ready to move out of the
country," she said.
When he abruptly left their house in J uly, he went to live
with Melinda and Marvin Downs.
"He would get really quiet sometimes, put his head
down," Melinda said. "You would see him in thought but
not in rage, not angry at the world."
After he left Fort Worth for a series of jobs on the East
Coast, Alexis kept in touch with the Downses. The last
they heard from him, on Sept. 9, he said everything was
going well in Washington.
Even before Monday morning, though, there were signs
that wasn't true.
He sought treatment with the Veterans Administration for
paranoia and hearing voices in two states.
In August, Newport, R.I., police were called to a Marriott
Hotel room where Alexis said he was being followed by
three people and heard voices coming from his closet.
He couldn't sleep because he thought they were using a
microwave machine to send vibrations through the
ceiling, the police report says.
His small circle of friends in Fort Worth say they saw no
evidence of mental illness or aggression and struggled to
reconcile the accusations against their friend with the
man they knew.
"I don't know him as a monster. I choose to rather
remember him as being the jokester. An honorable
youngmannottheonethatflippedoutandjustwentoff
on everybody," Melinda Downs said.
Kristi Suthamtewkal recalled his devotion to the Wat
Busayadhammavanaram temple.
"Buddhism is a religion of peace," she said. "It does not
make sense."
Pete Williams, J im Miklaszewski, Richard Esposito,
J onathan Dienst and Shimon Prokupecz also contributed
to this report.
Navy Yard shooter had
history of psychiatric
problems
advertisement
FROM AROUND THE WEB
Seriously, Stop Refrigerating These
Foods (Refrigerator Info)
MoneyCantBuyWhatthisFamily
Found on their Boat (Discover Boating)
5 Cars Destined to Fail Before Ever
Getting Off the Ground(Wall Street Cheat
Sheet)
Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia and
Chronic Fatigue Linked; Widespread
Misdiagnosis and Wrong Treatment
(Shea Medical)
Teenage Girl Murdered By Her
Boyfriend Found With Cement Blocks
Tied To Her Body(RadarOnline)
MORE FROM NBC NEWS
Man Shot While Cleaning Neighbor's
Gutters (NBC News)
Couple Moving Into New Apartment
Finds Python in Couch(NBC Los Angeles)
Father-In-Chief: Photos Celebrate
Obama and First Daughters (NBC News)
Grandson makes dream come true for
grandfather who taught him 'hard work,
love and persistence always pay off'
(TODAY)
'What we've been waiting for': Twin
boys surgically separated head
home(TODAY)
First published September 17th 2013, 5:39 pm
Sep 17

menu
HOME LATEST SEARCH
PREVIEW OUR BETA HOMEPAGE
And let us know what you think
Generated with www.html-to-pdf.net Page 3 / 6
About Us Careers Contact PrivacyPolicyUPDATED Terms of Service Site map Advertise AdChoices Outlook.com
2014 NBCNews.com
LOAD MORE
NEWS / OTHER
advertisment
advertisement
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
Navy Yard shooter Aaron
Alexis was 'not happy with
America,' friend says
BY MARK POTTER AND CHARLES HADLOCK, NBC NEWS
Aaron Alexis in an undated handout photograph provided by Kristi
Suthamtewakul, wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit
Suthamtewakul,
FORTWORTH,TexasAaronAlexiswassounhappy
withhislifeinAmericawherehewasbesetbymoney
woesandfeltslightedasaveteranthathewas"readyto
move out of the country" last year, a friend said Tuesday.
Navy Yard shooter sought
mental health treatment,
officials say
advertisement
"He was tired of dealing with the government," said Kristi
Suthamtewkal, whose husband owns the Thai Bowl
Restaurant in Fort Worth, where Alexis worked in
exchange for room and board.
But instead of leaving the U.S., the former Navy reservist
relocated from Texas to Virginia, where an IT company
called The Experts put him on a government contract at
the Washington Navy Yard.
A day after Alexis, 34, gunned down 12 people at the
yard,newdetailsemergedofhistroubledpastfromhis
preoccupation with 9/11 to recent mental problems that
included hearing voices in his head.
Investigators said Tuesday that a preliminary probe has
turned up no evidence that Alexis participated in rescue
operations at Ground Zero, as his father once told police.
He was, however, employed as a clerical worker at the
Borough of Manhattan Community College, in the
shadow of the Twin Towers, when they were destroyed
on Sept. 11, 2001.
Hetalkedabout9/11andwherehewasandhowthe
buildingshadcollapsedandhecouldntbelieve
that...and how he was upset with the terrorists for taking
innocent lives," Suthamtewkal said.
Aaron Alexis in an undated photograph provided by Kristi Suthamtewakul,
wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit Suthamtewakul.
Melinda Downs, who took in Alexis after he moved out of
the Suthamtewkals' house last year, said he told her he
suffered from post-traumatic stress after "surviving 9/11 in
New York."
And when Alexis was arrested in Seattle in 2004, for
shooting at a parked car in what he called an "anger-
fueled blackout," he brought up 9/11 during his
interrogation and "how those events had disturbed him,"
police said.
Three years after that arrest, Alexis enlisted in the Navy
Reservesandservedasanaviationelectrician'smatea
thirdclasspettyofficerbeforehewasgivenan
honorable discharge in J anuary 2011.
Military officials acknowledged that Alexis had disciplinary
issues including absence without permission,
insubordination and disorderly conduct.
Among the problems: an arrest in September 2010 by
Fort Worth police after he accidentally fired a bullet into
the apartment above him while he was cleaning a gun
with slippery hands. Prosecutors determined that there
wasntenoughevidencetobringarecklessnesscase.
After his discharge, Alexis began an online course in
aeronautics with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
He worshiped at a Buddhist Temple and was befriended
by Suthamtewkal's husband, Oui, who " took him under
his wing and took care of him."
He was given a room at their house in exchange for help
at the restaurant, where he was one of the more popular
waiters.
"Everybody loved him," Kristi Suthamtewkal said.
He spent a lot of time in his room, burning incense, she
said. Michael Ritrobato, a handyman at the restaurant,
said Alexis played violent online video games but was
good-natured, not angry.
After he returned from a contract job in J apan in Nov.
2012, he didn't seem as easy-going, though.
He felt like he had been cheated out of money from the
contract and complained that he was mistreated because
he was black, Kristi Suthamtewkal said.
"He felt a lot of discrimination and and racism with white
people especially," she said.
There was also a growing sense of entitlement and
disrespect, she said. "He did have the tendency to feel
like people owed him something all the time."
He got annoyed when she couldn't give him rides, and
he started eating the couple's food without permission,
and ignoring her when she complained, she said. When
her cats developed fleas, he was angry.
Mostly, though, she felt like he was fed up with the United
States.
Aaron Alexis in a Fort Worth Police Department handout photo.
IknewhewasnothappywithAmericaandhefelt
slighted as a veteran and he was ready to move out of the
country," she said.
When he abruptly left their house in J uly, he went to live
with Melinda and Marvin Downs.
"He would get really quiet sometimes, put his head
down," Melinda said. "You would see him in thought but
not in rage, not angry at the world."
After he left Fort Worth for a series of jobs on the East
Coast, Alexis kept in touch with the Downses. The last
they heard from him, on Sept. 9, he said everything was
going well in Washington.
Even before Monday morning, though, there were signs
that wasn't true.
He sought treatment with the Veterans Administration for
paranoia and hearing voices in two states.
In August, Newport, R.I., police were called to a Marriott
Hotel room where Alexis said he was being followed by
three people and heard voices coming from his closet.
He couldn't sleep because he thought they were using a
microwave machine to send vibrations through the
ceiling, the police report says.
His small circle of friends in Fort Worth say they saw no
evidence of mental illness or aggression and struggled to
reconcile the accusations against their friend with the
man they knew.
"I don't know him as a monster. I choose to rather
remember him as being the jokester. An honorable
youngmannottheonethatflippedoutandjustwentoff
on everybody," Melinda Downs said.
Kristi Suthamtewkal recalled his devotion to the Wat
Busayadhammavanaram temple.
"Buddhism is a religion of peace," she said. "It does not
make sense."
Pete Williams, J im Miklaszewski, Richard Esposito,
J onathan Dienst and Shimon Prokupecz also contributed
to this report.
Navy Yard shooter had
history of psychiatric
problems
advertisement
FROM AROUND THE WEB
Seriously, Stop Refrigerating These
Foods (Refrigerator Info)
MoneyCantBuyWhatthisFamily
Found on their Boat (Discover Boating)
5 Cars Destined to Fail Before Ever
Getting Off the Ground(Wall Street Cheat
Sheet)
Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia and
Chronic Fatigue Linked; Widespread
Misdiagnosis and Wrong Treatment
(Shea Medical)
Teenage Girl Murdered By Her
Boyfriend Found With Cement Blocks
Tied To Her Body(RadarOnline)
MORE FROM NBC NEWS
Man Shot While Cleaning Neighbor's
Gutters (NBC News)
Couple Moving Into New Apartment
Finds Python in Couch(NBC Los Angeles)
Father-In-Chief: Photos Celebrate
Obama and First Daughters (NBC News)
Grandson makes dream come true for
grandfather who taught him 'hard work,
love and persistence always pay off'
(TODAY)
'What we've been waiting for': Twin
boys surgically separated head
home(TODAY)
First published September 17th 2013, 5:39 pm
Sep 17

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Navy Yard shooter Aaron
Alexis was 'not happy with
America,' friend says
BY MARK POTTER AND CHARLES HADLOCK, NBC NEWS
Aaron Alexis in an undated handout photograph provided by Kristi
Suthamtewakul, wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit
Suthamtewakul,
FORTWORTH,TexasAaronAlexiswassounhappy
withhislifeinAmericawherehewasbesetbymoney
woesandfeltslightedasaveteranthathewas"readyto
move out of the country" last year, a friend said Tuesday.
Navy Yard shooter sought
mental health treatment,
officials say
advertisement
"He was tired of dealing with the government," said Kristi
Suthamtewkal, whose husband owns the Thai Bowl
Restaurant in Fort Worth, where Alexis worked in
exchange for room and board.
But instead of leaving the U.S., the former Navy reservist
relocated from Texas to Virginia, where an IT company
called The Experts put him on a government contract at
the Washington Navy Yard.
A day after Alexis, 34, gunned down 12 people at the
yard,newdetailsemergedofhistroubledpastfromhis
preoccupation with 9/11 to recent mental problems that
included hearing voices in his head.
Investigators said Tuesday that a preliminary probe has
turned up no evidence that Alexis participated in rescue
operations at Ground Zero, as his father once told police.
He was, however, employed as a clerical worker at the
Borough of Manhattan Community College, in the
shadow of the Twin Towers, when they were destroyed
on Sept. 11, 2001.
Hetalkedabout9/11andwherehewasandhowthe
buildingshadcollapsedandhecouldntbelieve
that...and how he was upset with the terrorists for taking
innocent lives," Suthamtewkal said.
Aaron Alexis in an undated photograph provided by Kristi Suthamtewakul,
wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit Suthamtewakul.
Melinda Downs, who took in Alexis after he moved out of
the Suthamtewkals' house last year, said he told her he
suffered from post-traumatic stress after "surviving 9/11 in
New York."
And when Alexis was arrested in Seattle in 2004, for
shooting at a parked car in what he called an "anger-
fueled blackout," he brought up 9/11 during his
interrogation and "how those events had disturbed him,"
police said.
Three years after that arrest, Alexis enlisted in the Navy
Reservesandservedasanaviationelectrician'smatea
thirdclasspettyofficerbeforehewasgivenan
honorable discharge in J anuary 2011.
Military officials acknowledged that Alexis had disciplinary
issues including absence without permission,
insubordination and disorderly conduct.
Among the problems: an arrest in September 2010 by
Fort Worth police after he accidentally fired a bullet into
the apartment above him while he was cleaning a gun
with slippery hands. Prosecutors determined that there
wasntenoughevidencetobringarecklessnesscase.
After his discharge, Alexis began an online course in
aeronautics with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
He worshiped at a Buddhist Temple and was befriended
by Suthamtewkal's husband, Oui, who " took him under
his wing and took care of him."
He was given a room at their house in exchange for help
at the restaurant, where he was one of the more popular
waiters.
"Everybody loved him," Kristi Suthamtewkal said.
He spent a lot of time in his room, burning incense, she
said. Michael Ritrobato, a handyman at the restaurant,
said Alexis played violent online video games but was
good-natured, not angry.
After he returned from a contract job in J apan in Nov.
2012, he didn't seem as easy-going, though.
He felt like he had been cheated out of money from the
contract and complained that he was mistreated because
he was black, Kristi Suthamtewkal said.
"He felt a lot of discrimination and and racism with white
people especially," she said.
There was also a growing sense of entitlement and
disrespect, she said. "He did have the tendency to feel
like people owed him something all the time."
He got annoyed when she couldn't give him rides, and
he started eating the couple's food without permission,
and ignoring her when she complained, she said. When
her cats developed fleas, he was angry.
Mostly, though, she felt like he was fed up with the United
States.
Aaron Alexis in a Fort Worth Police Department handout photo.
IknewhewasnothappywithAmericaandhefelt
slighted as a veteran and he was ready to move out of the
country," she said.
When he abruptly left their house in J uly, he went to live
with Melinda and Marvin Downs.
"He would get really quiet sometimes, put his head
down," Melinda said. "You would see him in thought but
not in rage, not angry at the world."
After he left Fort Worth for a series of jobs on the East
Coast, Alexis kept in touch with the Downses. The last
they heard from him, on Sept. 9, he said everything was
going well in Washington.
Even before Monday morning, though, there were signs
that wasn't true.
He sought treatment with the Veterans Administration for
paranoia and hearing voices in two states.
In August, Newport, R.I., police were called to a Marriott
Hotel room where Alexis said he was being followed by
three people and heard voices coming from his closet.
He couldn't sleep because he thought they were using a
microwave machine to send vibrations through the
ceiling, the police report says.
His small circle of friends in Fort Worth say they saw no
evidence of mental illness or aggression and struggled to
reconcile the accusations against their friend with the
man they knew.
"I don't know him as a monster. I choose to rather
remember him as being the jokester. An honorable
youngmannottheonethatflippedoutandjustwentoff
on everybody," Melinda Downs said.
Kristi Suthamtewkal recalled his devotion to the Wat
Busayadhammavanaram temple.
"Buddhism is a religion of peace," she said. "It does not
make sense."
Pete Williams, J im Miklaszewski, Richard Esposito,
J onathan Dienst and Shimon Prokupecz also contributed
to this report.
Navy Yard shooter had
history of psychiatric
problems
advertisement
FROM AROUND THE WEB
Seriously, Stop Refrigerating These
Foods (Refrigerator Info)
MoneyCantBuyWhatthisFamily
Found on their Boat (Discover Boating)
5 Cars Destined to Fail Before Ever
Getting Off the Ground(Wall Street Cheat
Sheet)
Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia and
Chronic Fatigue Linked; Widespread
Misdiagnosis and Wrong Treatment
(Shea Medical)
Teenage Girl Murdered By Her
Boyfriend Found With Cement Blocks
Tied To Her Body(RadarOnline)
MORE FROM NBC NEWS
Man Shot While Cleaning Neighbor's
Gutters (NBC News)
Couple Moving Into New Apartment
Finds Python in Couch(NBC Los Angeles)
Father-In-Chief: Photos Celebrate
Obama and First Daughters (NBC News)
Grandson makes dream come true for
grandfather who taught him 'hard work,
love and persistence always pay off'
(TODAY)
'What we've been waiting for': Twin
boys surgically separated head
home(TODAY)
First published September 17th 2013, 5:39 pm
Sep 17

menu
HOME LATEST SEARCH
PREVIEW OUR BETA HOMEPAGE
And let us know what you think
Generated with www.html-to-pdf.net Page 5 / 6
About Us Careers Contact PrivacyPolicyUPDATED Terms of Service Site map Advertise AdChoices Outlook.com
2014 NBCNews.com
LOAD MORE
NEWS / OTHER
advertisment
advertisement
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
advertisment
Navy Yard shooter Aaron
Alexis was 'not happy with
America,' friend says
BY MARK POTTER AND CHARLES HADLOCK, NBC NEWS
Aaron Alexis in an undated handout photograph provided by Kristi
Suthamtewakul, wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit
Suthamtewakul,
FORTWORTH,TexasAaronAlexiswassounhappy
withhislifeinAmericawherehewasbesetbymoney
woesandfeltslightedasaveteranthathewas"readyto
move out of the country" last year, a friend said Tuesday.
Navy Yard shooter sought
mental health treatment,
officials say
advertisement
"He was tired of dealing with the government," said Kristi
Suthamtewkal, whose husband owns the Thai Bowl
Restaurant in Fort Worth, where Alexis worked in
exchange for room and board.
But instead of leaving the U.S., the former Navy reservist
relocated from Texas to Virginia, where an IT company
called The Experts put him on a government contract at
the Washington Navy Yard.
A day after Alexis, 34, gunned down 12 people at the
yard,newdetailsemergedofhistroubledpastfromhis
preoccupation with 9/11 to recent mental problems that
included hearing voices in his head.
Investigators said Tuesday that a preliminary probe has
turned up no evidence that Alexis participated in rescue
operations at Ground Zero, as his father once told police.
He was, however, employed as a clerical worker at the
Borough of Manhattan Community College, in the
shadow of the Twin Towers, when they were destroyed
on Sept. 11, 2001.
Hetalkedabout9/11andwherehewasandhowthe
buildingshadcollapsedandhecouldntbelieve
that...and how he was upset with the terrorists for taking
innocent lives," Suthamtewkal said.
Aaron Alexis in an undated photograph provided by Kristi Suthamtewakul,
wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit Suthamtewakul.
Melinda Downs, who took in Alexis after he moved out of
the Suthamtewkals' house last year, said he told her he
suffered from post-traumatic stress after "surviving 9/11 in
New York."
And when Alexis was arrested in Seattle in 2004, for
shooting at a parked car in what he called an "anger-
fueled blackout," he brought up 9/11 during his
interrogation and "how those events had disturbed him,"
police said.
Three years after that arrest, Alexis enlisted in the Navy
Reservesandservedasanaviationelectrician'smatea
thirdclasspettyofficerbeforehewasgivenan
honorable discharge in J anuary 2011.
Military officials acknowledged that Alexis had disciplinary
issues including absence without permission,
insubordination and disorderly conduct.
Among the problems: an arrest in September 2010 by
Fort Worth police after he accidentally fired a bullet into
the apartment above him while he was cleaning a gun
with slippery hands. Prosecutors determined that there
wasntenoughevidencetobringarecklessnesscase.
After his discharge, Alexis began an online course in
aeronautics with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
He worshiped at a Buddhist Temple and was befriended
by Suthamtewkal's husband, Oui, who " took him under
his wing and took care of him."
He was given a room at their house in exchange for help
at the restaurant, where he was one of the more popular
waiters.
"Everybody loved him," Kristi Suthamtewkal said.
He spent a lot of time in his room, burning incense, she
said. Michael Ritrobato, a handyman at the restaurant,
said Alexis played violent online video games but was
good-natured, not angry.
After he returned from a contract job in J apan in Nov.
2012, he didn't seem as easy-going, though.
He felt like he had been cheated out of money from the
contract and complained that he was mistreated because
he was black, Kristi Suthamtewkal said.
"He felt a lot of discrimination and and racism with white
people especially," she said.
There was also a growing sense of entitlement and
disrespect, she said. "He did have the tendency to feel
like people owed him something all the time."
He got annoyed when she couldn't give him rides, and
he started eating the couple's food without permission,
and ignoring her when she complained, she said. When
her cats developed fleas, he was angry.
Mostly, though, she felt like he was fed up with the United
States.
Aaron Alexis in a Fort Worth Police Department handout photo.
IknewhewasnothappywithAmericaandhefelt
slighted as a veteran and he was ready to move out of the
country," she said.
When he abruptly left their house in J uly, he went to live
with Melinda and Marvin Downs.
"He would get really quiet sometimes, put his head
down," Melinda said. "You would see him in thought but
not in rage, not angry at the world."
After he left Fort Worth for a series of jobs on the East
Coast, Alexis kept in touch with the Downses. The last
they heard from him, on Sept. 9, he said everything was
going well in Washington.
Even before Monday morning, though, there were signs
that wasn't true.
He sought treatment with the Veterans Administration for
paranoia and hearing voices in two states.
In August, Newport, R.I., police were called to a Marriott
Hotel room where Alexis said he was being followed by
three people and heard voices coming from his closet.
He couldn't sleep because he thought they were using a
microwave machine to send vibrations through the
ceiling, the police report says.
His small circle of friends in Fort Worth say they saw no
evidence of mental illness or aggression and struggled to
reconcile the accusations against their friend with the
man they knew.
"I don't know him as a monster. I choose to rather
remember him as being the jokester. An honorable
youngmannottheonethatflippedoutandjustwentoff
on everybody," Melinda Downs said.
Kristi Suthamtewkal recalled his devotion to the Wat
Busayadhammavanaram temple.
"Buddhism is a religion of peace," she said. "It does not
make sense."
Pete Williams, J im Miklaszewski, Richard Esposito,
J onathan Dienst and Shimon Prokupecz also contributed
to this report.
Navy Yard shooter had
history of psychiatric
problems
advertisement
FROM AROUND THE WEB
Seriously, Stop Refrigerating These
Foods (Refrigerator Info)
MoneyCantBuyWhatthisFamily
Found on their Boat (Discover Boating)
5 Cars Destined to Fail Before Ever
Getting Off the Ground(Wall Street Cheat
Sheet)
Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia and
Chronic Fatigue Linked; Widespread
Misdiagnosis and Wrong Treatment
(Shea Medical)
Teenage Girl Murdered By Her
Boyfriend Found With Cement Blocks
Tied To Her Body(RadarOnline)
MORE FROM NBC NEWS
Man Shot While Cleaning Neighbor's
Gutters (NBC News)
Couple Moving Into New Apartment
Finds Python in Couch(NBC Los Angeles)
Father-In-Chief: Photos Celebrate
Obama and First Daughters (NBC News)
Grandson makes dream come true for
grandfather who taught him 'hard work,
love and persistence always pay off'
(TODAY)
'What we've been waiting for': Twin
boys surgically separated head
home(TODAY)
First published September 17th 2013, 5:39 pm
Sep 17

menu
HOME LATEST SEARCH
PREVIEW OUR BETA HOMEPAGE
And let us know what you think
Generated with www.html-to-pdf.net Page 6 / 6