Navy Yard Shooter's Latest Background Check Showed No Major Issues, Fort Lauderdale-Based Employer Says

Aaron Alexis worked for The Experts Inc., which is based in Fort Lauderdale, for about six months in the last year

The Florida-based IT consulting firm that employed Washington Navy Yard gunman Aaron Alexis for about six months over the last year says a recent background check and security clearance confirmation revealed no major issues.

The Experts Inc. said that during the time it employed Alexis, 34, it used a service to perform two background checks on him, with the most recent check occuring in June. The Fort Lauderdale company also twice confirmed his “secret” government clearance through the Department of Defense, the firm said in a news release Tuesday.

Alexis acted alone in killing 12 people and injuring eight others at the Navy Yard before he was killed Monday, according to the FBI.

“The Experts would like to express our deepest condolences and sympathies regarding the incident that occurred at the D.C. Naval Yards. We are cooperating fully with the FBI and other authorities in relation to the investigation on the suspect,” the company said in a statement.

Alexis joined the company in September 2012, leaving a few months later to return to school. About four months ago, he moved from Fort Worth, Texas to the Washington D.C. area. In June he came back to The Experts to do part-time work at the Navy Yard for the company, a subcontractor of Hewlett Packard that was hired to work on computers at the military installation.

A minor traffic violation was the only issue in Alexis’ late June background check and security clearance confirmation, according to The Experts.

The company’s CEO, Thomas Hoshko, confirmed to The Associated Press that Alexis was granted a "secret" clearance by the Defense Security Service five years ago. That clearance level is lower than “top secret” and only needs to be renewed every 10 years.

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