Man kills self, hostage at NASA building

HOUSTON - A NASA contract worker took a handgun inside an office building Friday at the Johnson Space Center and fatally shot a hostage before killing himself, police said. A second hostage escaped with minor injuries. The gunman shot himself once in the head more than three hours after barricading himself on the second floor of Building 44, which houses a laboratory.

The slain hostage was probably killed "in the early minutes of the whole ordeal," Houston Police Capt. Dwayne Ready said.

None of those involved were immediately identified.

The man was believed to be an employee of Jacobs Engineering, which has a technical support contract with NASA.

"We understand it is one of our employees," said John Prosser, the company's executive vice president.


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