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AS THE NATION MOURNS THE
INNOCENT VICTIMS OF YESTERDAY'S
NAVY YARD SHOOTING, FAMILY AND
FRIENDS OF THE SHOOTER
RE-EVALUATE THE MAN THEY THOUGHT
THEY KNEW.
>> I WOULD NEVER HAVE BELIEVED
THIS UNTIL IT HAPPENED.
>> AARON WAS A VERY POLITE, VERY
FRIENDLY MAN.
>> Reporter: BUT WITH THE IMAGE
OF 34-YEAR-OLD AARON ALEXIS NOW
STARING BACK AT US FROM SCREENS
AND NEWSPAPER COVERS WORLDWIDE,
GLIMPSES OF HIS CONTRADICTORY
CHARACTER ARE COMING INTO FULL
VIEW.
FROM THE OUTSIDE, HE WAS A
VETERAN OF THE NAVY RESERVE,
HONORABLY DISCHARGED IN 2011
AFTER SERVING MORE THAN THREE
YEARS.
BUT RECORDS SHOW ALEXIS' TIME IN
THE SERVICE WAS TROUBLED.
ACCORDING TO NAVAL OFFICIALS, HE
WAS CITED AT LEAST EIGHT TIMES
FOR MISCONDUCT DURING HIS
MILITARY CAREER, INCLUDING
INSUBORDINATION AND EXCESSIVE
ABSENCES.
HE HAD BEEN ARRESTED FOR GUN
VIOLENCE ONCE PRIOR TO
ENLISTMENT AND WAS ARRESTED
TWICE MORE WHILE SERVING.
IN 2008 HE WAS CHARGED WITH
DISORDERLY CONDUCT, THEN
ARRESTED AGAIN IN 2010 FOR
FIRING A GUN THROUGH HIS
APARTMENT CEILING.
HE LEFT THE NAVY IN 2011.
THE NEXT YEAR, HE STARTED
WORKING FOR THE EXPERTS, A
SUBCONTRACTOR ON A
HEWLETT-PACKARD CONTRACT TO
REFRESH EQUIPMENT USED ON THE
NAVY MARINE CORPS INTRANET
NETWORK.
HE ENTERED THE NAVY YARD
YESTERDAY MORNING USING HIS
OFFICIAL SECURITY CLEARANCE.
>> YOU HAVE A DOCUMENTED CASE
WHERE THIS INDIVIDUAL
MISBEHAVED, THE NAVY KNEW IT,
YET STILL WHEN HE GOT OUT, HE
WAS ALLOWED TO GET A CLEARANCE
AND PEOPLE NEED TO BE ASKING THE
QUESTION WHY.
>> Reporter: ALEXIS HAD FAMILY
IN NEW YORK BUT HAD BEEN
ESTRANGED FROM THEM FOR MANY
YEARS.
>> NO ONE EVER MENTIONED
ANYTHING ABOUT HIM BEING
AGGRESSIVE OR BEING THIS TYPE OF
WAY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO I CAN'T COMMENT TO SAY THAT,
YOU KNOW, I KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT
THIS.
>> Reporter: BUT IN TEXAS, WHERE
HE LIVED MOST RECENTLY, HE WAS
PART OF A COMMUNITY THAT
REVOLVED AROUND A BUDDHIST
TEMPLE WHERE HE PRACTICED
MEDITATION.
>> HE JUST HAD AN EXCITEMENT FOR
LIFE, JUST GETTING INVOLVED WITH
THE THAI COMMUNITY, WITH THE
TEMPLE DOWN THE ROAD.
>> Reporter: ALEXIS SPOKE THAI
AND USED THE SKILL AS A SERVER
AT THIS TEXAS RESTAURANT BEFORE
DEPARTING ON A RECENT TRIP TO
THAILAND.
DESPITE HIS SMILE IN THIS PHOTO,
FRIENDS SAY THE MAN THEY KNEW
WAS BECOMING INCREASINGLY
DISTRESSED, TELLING FRIENDS HE
WAS STRUGGLING WITH HIS
FINANCES.
>> HE WAS SENT ON THE
CONTRACTORS' JOB TO JAPAN FOR A
MONTH AND THAT WAS FROM NOVEMBER
TO DECEMBER, AND HE GOT BACK AND
HE FELT VERY SLIGHTED ABOUT HIS
BENEFITS AT THE TIME.
>> HE CALLED ME SEVERAL MONTHS
AGO SAYING THAT THEY DIDN'T PAY
HIM, HIS CAR WAS BROKE DOWN, HE
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS GOING TO
DO.
>> Reporter: ACCORDING TO TWO
LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCES, ALEXIS
RECENTLY MADE CONTACT WITH TWO
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION
HOSPITALS, PERHAPS FOR
PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES.
>> HE WAS VERY FRUSTRATED WITH
THE GOVERNMENT AND HOW AS A
VETERAN HE DIDN'T FEEL LIKE HE
WAS GETTING TREATED RIGHT OR