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CNN poll: Majority think Fort Hood shooting was preventable

Sgt. Fanuaee Vea, left, embraces Pvt. Savannah Green after shootings outside Fort Hood in Texas.
Sgt. Fanuaee Vea, left, embraces Pvt. Savannah Green after shootings outside Fort Hood in Texas.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Poll: 64 percent think federal law enforcement or military should've been able to prevent shootings
  • All major demographics believe the attack was preventable, polling director says
  • Survey: Americans are split on whether the attack was an act of terrorism
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Washington (CNN) -- A majority of Americans think that authorities could have prevented the deadly attack at Fort Hood, Texas, according to a new national poll.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey indicates that 64 percent of the public think that federal law enforcement agencies or the U.S. military should have been able to prevent the shootings, with 31 percent saying the incident couldn't have been prevented.

Authorities say Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. Army psychiatrist, opened fire at a military processing center at the Fort Hood army post, killing 13 people. Dozens of others were wounded.

"All major demographic groups seem to believe that the attack at Fort Hood was preventable," said CNN polling director Keating Holland. "A majority of men and women, old and young, Democrats and Republicans all think Hasan could have been stopped."

The poll's Thursday morning release comes as Sen. Joseph Lieberman, chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, is scheduled to begin hearings focusing on what authorities knew about the alleged shooter before the November 5 incident, and whether military or law enforcement authorities missed signals that Hasan was planning an attack.

According to the survey, Americans are split on whether the attack was an act of terrorism. Forty-seven percent of people questioned say it was terrorism, with 45 percent disagreeing.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted November 13-15, with 1,014 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.