x
Breaking News
More () »

Chattanooga shooter worked at Perry Nuclear Power Plant; Medra Marketing

Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez may have recently lived and worked in Cleveland suburbs.
Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The man who opened fire at two military facilities in Chattanooga, killing four Marines and injuring three others, is Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez.

WKYC has confirmed that he worked and lived for a time in Northeast Ohio.

FirstEnergy confirmed to WKYC's Investigator Tom Meyer that he also worked at Perry Nuclear Power Plant from May 20 to May 30 of 2013.

FirstEnergy said he left because he didn't meet the minimum requirements to remain employed. He worked as a electrical engineer right outside the nuclear reactor, which they say he did not have access.

Ashley Castillo, a manager at Medra, a marketing company in Independence, said he did work for the company.

Lake County Sheriff's Office confirmed he received a traffic ticket in 2013.

A man with the same name is listed to a former address at Pine Ridge Apartment Complex on Par Lane in Willoughby Hills. WKYC's Tom Meyer obtained court records that indicate he was evicted from the apartments in December of 2013.
Investigators were on the scene at the same complex Thursday night.

The apartment complex responded to whether he lived there with the following statement:

With regard to your inquiry, Goldberg Companies, Inc. and Pine Ridge Apartments are fully cooperating with authorities to provide any information pertinent to the ongoing investigations. At this time we are unable to confirm the suspect was a former resident of Pine Ridge Apartments.

The shooter was killed, but authorities did not elaborate on how he died.

A senior federal official told NBC that Abdulazeez is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Kuwait. He was 24-years-old. While Abdulazeez was living in his hometown near Chattanooga, WKYC has uncovered a possible connection to Northeast Ohio.

In his high school yearbook, NBC affiliate WCYB reportsthat Abdulazeez selected the following Hijabman quote, "My name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?"

But federal officials say there's no indication that he was under investigation by the FBI or on any watch lists. His limited criminal record includes a DUI by a Chattanooga police officer in April.

WCYBobtained the police report of the incident. The officer noted that Abdulazeez was acting lethargic and slurring his speech. He was pulled over after he reportedly failed to maintain the lane and was driving under the speed limit, and stopping at green lights.

Officers smelled marijuana when they approached him. He had droopy eyelids and a white powdery residue under his nose. He told police he had crushed caffeine pills and snorted them. He refused a blood test and officers obtained a warrant to draw blood. Officers noted that he showed signs of impairment during a field sobriety test. Abdulazeez told officers that he had been around friends who were drinking and using marijuana. He was scheduled to appear back in court at the end of the month.

Court records show that he was also cited for speeding and not having insurance in March 2011 by Tennessee Highway Patrol.

At that time, he was a likely a student at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. The school confirmed Abdulazeez graduated in 2012 with a degree in electrical engineering.

The Tennessee Valley Authority confirms he was an intern about five years ago.

Federal and local authorities still hoping to learn any motive are carefully checking his home, his car and his life online, as well as building a list of everyone he was recently in contact with.

Before You Leave, Check This Out