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Roanoke, VA - Right now the death toll in the shootings at Fort Hood stands at 13, although doctors say several of the wounded are still in very critical condition.
We continue to learn more about the ties accused gunman, Nidal Hasan, has to our area.
Roanoke City
(web) Schools confirms Hasan attended William Fleming High School for one year and graduated in 1988.
Hasan also graduated in 1992 from Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, before enrolling at Virginia Tech.
A university spokesman says Hasan graduated from Tech in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science with honors in bio-chemistry. Hasan was not a member of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, nor was he a member of any ROTC program.
We're told Hasan was an excellent student, but somewhat of a recluse.
In the meantime, Roanoke Valley residents are learning what it's like when a national story comes knocking on the door.
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1988 senior yearbook photo of Nidal Hasan.
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Alma Jerkovic hasn't slept since her husband called Thursday to tell her they were unwittingly associated with accused killer Nidal Hasan. Their Vinton home once belonged to Hasan's family. The couple has never met the family.
"I says well we're not in good shape now because people don't know we're not connected to them," Jerkovic said.
For last 24 hours, people have been coming to their street- a lot of journalists and a lot of gawkers.
It's the same street that Charles Garlick's eldest son played football with Hasan's brother, but not Nidal himself.
"This next one didn't have much to do with anybody. He was kind of a loner," Garlick said.
Garlick would often see Hasan coming home from school- first from William Fleming with honors in 1988 and then from Virginia Western Community College, again with honors in 1992, before heading off to Virginia Tech.
While Nadal worked through school, his family owned several businesses: two restaurants in downtown Roanoke and a grocery store in southwest Roanoke.
This was all a few years before Alma Jerkovic had ever heard even of Roanoke. Now, she can just hope that her and her family will soon be left alone.
"We bought the house a decade ago and... I don't know what to say... I am afraid for my family," Jerkovic said.
Hasan's parents are both now deceased. His father died in 1998 of a heart attack and his mother died three years later after they sold their home.
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