Man bought flowers for Ft. Hood suspect

Ft. Myers-Naples, Fla. (WBBH) - A Florida man said he tried to send flowers to the suspected Fort Hood shooter, accused of killing 13 people and hurting dozens more.

The man said he's now on the FBI's radar, but the Vietnam War veteran said he was just trying to follow the Bible.

Dan Ross, 61, holds a U.S. Army mug in his hand as he explains why he would send flowers to a man now accused of murdering 13 soldiers at Fort Hood.

"The FBI were the ones who actually killed those 13 people, because they were well-informed that this guy was against the United States of America," said Ross.

One day after the shooting, Ross placed an order for a $59.95 bouquet of yellow roses to be delivered to the hospital where Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan remains in critical condition.

"By my doing that, I was immediately labeled a terrorist," said Ross.

"I ask you respect my freedom of speech, and freedom of religion," he wrote in an e-mail sent to a Killeen, Texas florist, who asked us not to reveal their identity.

With it, Ross requested the following note be attached.

"Major Nidal Hasan Koran Chapter Two: Verse 190-3. In God's eye, and those who submit, you are a hero."

When asked if Ross thought Hasan was a hero, he replied, "He can be used as a hero for a better good."

Ross, an Army veteran himself, shows us a living room decorated with photos of his son, a Navy officer and his daughter, a member of the Army ROTC at Stetson University.

He claims his actions were that of a Christian - in fact, the apostle Peter, reborn.

And when prompted for a clarification was to why a man would send roses to an alleged killer: "I just heard the Holy Spirit tell me, 'It's true. It's phony bologna,'" said Ross.

"The holy spirit's talking to you right now?" asked the reporter.

"Just a little bit," said Ross.

His wife of 24 years, a Cambodia native, said Ross poses no threat.

"He thinks it's a part of the bible," she said.

A neighbor describes Ross as a good man with strong religious views.

"Most of the time he says, the Catholic church is no good," said the neighbor.

Ross, a self-described scientist and engineer, is being questioned, most recently by the FBI.

"The FBI came by and thought I was on drugs," said Ross.

All for a bouquet of flowers he wanted to send to, perhaps, the most hated man in America.

"That's part of Christianity is you're supposed to love your enemies and do good to them," said Ross.

The FBI isn't confirming or denying that it is investigating Ross.