Texas suffered a “significant loss” with Thursday’s violence at Fort Hood, Gov. Rick Perry said during a stop in Denton.

The governor offered few details on the shooting and said it was premature to speculate on a motive. He also declined to say whether he thought security had been lax at the base.

“I’ll leave that to the military authorities,” Perry said during an afternoon press conference at the University of North Texas. “That’s a federal response, and I think it would be inappropriate for me to be making a statement about security on a federal reservation when that’s not our duty.”

The state offered law enforcement aid to help secure the area around the military base, Perry said. There appeared to be no threat outside the base, he said.

Perry ordered flags to fly at half-staff until Sunday. He asked Texans to keep victims’ families in their prayers.

Perry, who is running for re-election next year, was in Denton for a campaign event organized by a group of local real estate agents. The event was cut short in light of the shooting, and a group of about 30 protesters canceled a demonstration against Perry’s stance on the death penalty.

—Lowell Brown