WASHINGTON (AP) — The sister of a gunman who killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard last year says she hopes the families of her brother’s victims are healing.

The Washington Post reports (http://wapo.st/1pXhVR2 ) Naomi Alexis, the sister of former Navy reservist and IT contractor Aaron Alexis, says that the grief she feels for the families’ suffering is “palpable” and that “the guilt, at times, paralyzing.”

The paper says Naomi Alexis initially agreed to an interview, saying she felt it was time to talk about her brother and the mental health issues his killings raised. But the paper says she cancelled the interview and her willingness to answer questions was reduced to a few brief phone calls, e-mails and text messages.

Tuesday is the one-year anniversary of the shooting.

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