At Least 12 Dead, 4 Hurt in Shooting at Washington Navy Base
A shooting rampage in the heart of a U.S. Navy complex in Washington left at least 12 people dead Monday. One shooter was killed, but police were looking for two other possible gunmen wearing military-style uniforms.
President Barack Obama said he is morning "yet another mass shooting" and called it a "cowardly act."
Officials said at least four people were wounded — three critically — in the rampage at the Washington Navy Yard, including a law enforcement officer.
The shooting led to tightened security at the Capitol and White House nearby. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier announced the death toll and said people were being told to stay in their homes and out of the area.
"The big concern for us right now is, we potentially have two other shooters that we have not located," Lanier said. It was not immediately clear whether the number of dead included a gunman.
Lanier said there was no indication of a possible motive.
Authorities identified the dead shooter as a Navy employee whose work status had been changed earlier this year, said a federal government official who spoke only on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak on the record. While that may suggest the motive was job related, authorities haven't ruled out anything including terrorism, the official said.
The shooting led to tightened security at the Capitol nearby.
Witnesses described a gunman firing down on a cafeteria from an upper floor and a gunman firing at people in a hallway on another floor.
Two Navy officials say at least six people were killed in the rampage. D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said four people were wounded and taken to hospitals.
About 3,000 people work at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters, which builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and combat systems.
Todd Brundidge said he and other co-workers encountered a gunman in a hallway on the third floor. The gunman was wearing all blue, he said.
"He just turned and started firing," Brundidge said.
Terrie Durham said she also saw the gunman.
"He aimed high and missed," she said. "He said nothing. As soon as I realized he was shooting, we just said, 'Get out of the building.'"
Rick Mason said a gunman was shooting from a fourth-floor overlook in the hallway outside his office. He said the gunman was aiming down at people in the building's cafeteria. Mason said he could hear the shots but could not see a gunman.
Mason said there are multiple levels of security to reach his office.
That "makes me think it might have been someone who works here," he said.
Shortly after the gunfire, Mason said someone on an overhead speaker told workers to seek shelter and later to head for the gates at the complex.
Patricia Ward said she was in the cafeteria.
"It was three gunshots straight in a row — pop, pop, pop. Three seconds later, it was pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, so it was like about a total of seven gunshots, and we just started running," Ward told reporters.
Ward said security officers started directing people out of the building with guns drawn.
One person died at George Washington University Hospital of a single gunshot wound to the left temple, said Dr. Babak Sarani, director of trauma and acute care surgery.
Janis Orlowski, chief operating officer of Washington Hospital Center, told reporters the hospital was treating three gunshot victims in critical condition. One was Washington police officer and two were civilian women.
Orlowski said the police officer had gunshot wounds to the legs. One woman had a gunshot wound to the shoulder, and the other had gunshot wounds to the head and hand.
A U.S. Park Police helicopter hovered over the Navy building and appeared to drop a basket with a person onto the roof.
The White House said President Obama had several briefings about the unfolding situation by senior aides, noting that the president directed his team to stay in touch with the Navy, FBI and local officials.
Meanwhile, departures at Washington's Reagan National Airport were halted for an hour and a half due to the shooting.
The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a ground stop mid-morning that had been imposed due to the nearby incident, airport spokesman Chris Paolino said.
"Flights have begun to depart, but we expect residual delays as the airport returns to normal operations," Paolino told Agence France Presse via email.
"The ground stop was in place for approximately 90 min," he added.
Earlier, Paolino said departures had been halted due to shooting but that inbound aircraft were still landing and that the airport remained open.
Police and FBI agents descended on the area in force as helicopters buzzed overhead, amid reports a shooter was armed with an assault rifle and was on the loose in the complex.
The gunman had allegedly barricaded himself in a room in a headquarters building, the Washington Post and other media reported.
Police blocked off intersections around the Navy Yard as military troops in uniform stood guard at street corners.
Crowds of onlookers stood on sidewalks watching the drama unfold and at a construction site near the Navy Yard.
Schools in the area were on lockdown as a precaution, authorities said.
It was unclear how a man armed with an assault rifle could have penetrated the heavy security that surrounds the Navy Yard, which is located on the Anacostia River, not far from the Capitol building that houses the U.S. Congress.
Source: Agence France Presse, Associated Press, Naharnet
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