Ft. Hood Medical Chief Says She Never Saw It Coming

By Colleen Chen, NEWS 9

KILLEEN, Texas -- As military officials work to understand why Major Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood Thursday, a woman who oversaw his work on base said she has had a hard time grasping it.

Before shots shattered Col. Kimberly Kesling's memory of Major Hasan, there was respect for a quiet, dedicated hard worker.

"Up until this point, he was in my opinion an asset to my institution," Kesling said, Fort Hood chief of medical staff.

Like the wounded, she said she never saw it coming.

"I'm his bosses' boss. I like to believe no one is capable of something like this, but in my interaction with him absolutely not. I would have never had any indication that he would do this," Kesling said.

It has all caused a sense of unease among those affected.

"It is not an easy thing, absolutely. You cannot image someone that you know would do something like this," Kesling said.

But the hardest part, especially for those who knew Hasan, may end up being looking back.

"That's human nature. You go back and look at the what ifs and if he said. It's just unfortunate that he had some demons and made a very bad choice," Kesling said.

Although reports have indicated Hasan was upset of news of deployment, Kesling said she never heard him complain about that.

At this point, investigators said they've been conducting interviews for the last 24 hours and have a long way to go in the investigation.

Hasan was shot four times and is currently in a coma.