Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus may be cast in the role of the political fall guy as the search for answers in the Washington Navy Yard shootings continues.

National news organizations were already examining that angle on the story less than 24 hours after the tragedy. One line of inquiry has been whether or not the Navy implemented an unproven security system as a means to cut costs while another focuses on allegations that felons may have been able to gain restricted access to Navy facilities on a consistent basis.Refer to the 9/21/13 print edition or the e-editon of the Picayune Item for further details of this story.