An active on-site shooter was reported at Fort Lee Army base in Virgina, forcing it into lockdown and leading the base to enact active shooter protocols. An ‘all clear’ was later issued by the base and the shooter hospitalized.
“Active shooter incident reported at CASCOM HQ, Bldg. 5020. All personnel enact active shooter protocols immediately. Post on lockdown,” the Army base tweeted.
Active shooter incident reported at CASCOM HQ, Bldg. 5020. All personnel enact active shooter protocols immediately. Post on lockdown.
— U.S. Army Fort Lee (@ArmyFortLee) August 25, 2014
A follow-up post on Facebook later announced that: “An all clear has been issued by the Fort Lee installation operations center at 9:50 a.m. The law enforcement event is over.”
A Pentagon spokeswoman announced shortly after the incident that the shooter did not injure anyone. However, she was not immediately certain of the status of the shooter, reported AP. It later emerged that the shooting was instigated by a female soldier, and she had suffered injuries after turning the gun on herself.
The Sergeant had 14 years experience and had served in Iraq. She reportedly barricaded herself in her office and shot herself after conversations with soldiers, after which she was flown to hospital.
The US has a history of shootings at military installations. In 2009, 13 people were killed at Fort Hood in Texas and a gunman struck again on April 2nd this year when an Iraq war veteran killed three and injured a further 16 people before he killed himself.
Naval bases have also been affected – last September, twelve people were killed and four injured when a government contractor started shooting inside the Navy Yard complex in Washington, D.C.