Contract Worker Employed At Agency For Approx. 13 Years

Police haven't said publicly yet what may have led a contract worker to take hostages inside Building 44 at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX Friday, in a standoff that ended with the fatal shooting of one hostage and the apparent suicide of the gunman.

Authorities did tell the Associated Press they believe the slain hostage, David Beverly, was killed early in the violent, three-hour ordeal. A second hostage, identified as Fran Crenshaw, was not harmed.

“I don’t know what any of the relations were at this time,” Houston police Capt. Dwayne Ready said of the three persons involved in the incident. “I am sure we will learn if there were any relationships, and what they may have been.”

The gunman, Bill Phillips, was felled by a gunshot wound to the head that appeared to be self-inflicted. No note was found on Phillips' body, and police searched his house Friday for additional clues.

JSC security officials were called to the scene at 1340 local time Friday, on reports of two shots fired inside the building that houses communications and tracking equipment. When it became clear a hostage situation was unfolding, the FBI and SWAT teams were called in, along with local police.

A police spokesman said contact between officers and the gunman was never established.

The Times reports Phillips was employed with NASA contractor Jacobs Sverdrup, a subcontractor for Johnson Space Center. Phillips had worked for NASA for 12-13 years, the agency said in a release Friday night.

NASA spokeswoman Eileen Hawley suggested the incident would lead to a review of security policies at the facility.

FMI: www.nasa.gov