Soldier Who Shot Herself At Fort Lee Identified As Paula M. Walker, Of Yonkers
RICHMOND, Va. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The Army has identified the soldier who barricaded herself in a building at a Virginia base and then fatally shot herself in the head.
Fort Lee officials on Wednesday say it was 33-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Paula M. Walker of Yonkers, New York. She was a human resources specialist.
Walker died Monday after barricading herself in an office inside the headquarters for the Army's Combined Arms Support Command and was throwing objects.
The base about 25 miles south of Richmond was temporarily locked down.
About 1,100 people were inside the building as law enforcement officials tried to negotiate with her. No other injuries were reported.
Officials say Walker had been in the Army for 14 years and at Fort Lee since December 2011. Officials say her gun wasn't a service weapon.
Yonkers Woman Identified As Soldier Who Shot Herself At Virginia Army Base
Walker's career included a 15-month combat tour in Iraq from 2007 to 2008, WCBS 880's Monica Miller reported.
Yonkers resident Eric Wright says he remembers Paula Walker as a warm, loving person who would light up a room.
"A person that you could be walking down the block and you could see her from a distance and get a warm feeling," he said.
Wright said he hadn't seen her in a while but is "shocked" and "flabbergasted" that she's gone.
Officials say it's unclear if she was being treated for mental health issues.
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