One Gunman Dead, Two More Possibly At Large at Navy Yard Shooting
Emergency personnel respond to a reported shooting at the Washington Navy Yard Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
This photo, which AP obtained from Don Andres and has been authenticated based on details in it, shows emergency personnel attending to a scene where a gunman was reported at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, (AP Photo/Don Andres)
Members of the military guard a military garage near the Navy Yard. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
A U.S. Park Police helicopter removes a man in a basket from the Navy Yard. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Police work the scene on M Street, SE near the Navy Yard. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Police bring in equipment by an anchor outside of an entrance to the Navy Yard. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
A policeman work the scene on M Street S.E. in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
An active shooting is underway at Washington D.C.'s Navy Yard Monday morning. At least ten people have been shot, including at least two police officers, according to the MPD. One police officer is currently at Washington Hospital Center and in critical condition with multiple bullet wounds to his legs, a hospital spokeswoman said at an 11:30 AM press conference. A senior Navy official told NBC that at least a dozen people have been shot, with multiple people dead. D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray referred to the scene as an "active investigation" a little after noon.
Police Chief Cathy Lanier confirmed that one shooter is dead at the scene, as well as multiple victims. She also said that "we potentially may have two additional shooters out there."
Speaking about the other potential shooters, Lanier said that "We have no information to believe that either of those folks are military personnel, but we do have information that those individuals are wearing military style uniforms."
You can see her full remarks here:
President Obama, speaking about the "horrific tragedy" just before a planned speech on the economic recovery, referred to the event as "yet another mass shooting." He continued:
I've made it clear to my team that I want the investigation to be seamless so that federal and local authorities are working together. And as this investigation exmoves forward, we will do everything in our power to make sure whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible.
In the meantime, we send our thoughts and prayers to all at the Navy Yard who have been attached by this tragedy. We thank them for their service. We stand with the families of those who have been harmed. They're going to need our love and support.
And as we learn more about the courageous Americans who died today, their lives, their families, their patriotism, we will honor their service to the nation. They helped to make great, and obviously, we're going to be investigating thoroughly what happened as we do so many of these shootings, sadly, that have happened. And do everything that we can to try to prevent them.
The mayor, speaking from a yellow notepad at a press conference, said that police are "still trying to confirm the number of fatalities," and that it's an "isolated incident," as far as they know.
Speaking at Navy Yard just before noon, Navy Commander Tim Jirus says he has "no idea" of how many shooters were on the scene. "I don't know if they came from the roof or the fire escape," he said. A person was shot next to the commander. "We know people we work with who are on their way to the hospital. We don't know if they are gonna make it or not."
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told the Washington Post that three shooters are involved with the violence, one is down and two remain in the building. The Post later updated their report to say that police believe there were two shooters on the scene, not three. According to that report, one shooter is down and there is a search currently in process for the second.
The Navy has not confirmed the reports of multiple shooters. NBC was reporting earlier that there are at least two shooters, with at least one currently down. D.C. police refuted reports of multiple gunmen to CNN earlier Monday. "We don't have a number of suspects right now," Officer P.J. Newsham told CNN. Newsham said that searching the area would take some time.
A spokesperson for the Medstar Washington Hospital Center gave some indication of what type of weapon was used on the scene: "I would tell you from the reports of the victims, it was -- it had to be a semiautomatic because they are talking about gunshots that they heard in rapid succession."
The Navy confirmed that an active shooter was inside the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters building at 8:20 AM, and a shelter in place order was issued for personnel.
Much of Washington D.C. has been shut down as the search for potential shooters goes on. Schools and businesses in the area are on lockdown. All flights were grounded this morning at Ronald Reagan National Airport, but that order has since been lifted.
A gunman was shooting from the fourth floor into the building's cafeteria on the first floor, a witness told the Associated Press.
The White House said Monday morning that President Obama has been briefed "several times" this morning about the situation. The full statement from the White House:
The President has been briefed several times about the unfolding situation at the Washington Navy Yard by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco and Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco. The President directed his team to stay in touch with our federal partners, including the Navy and FBI, as well as the local officials. We urge citizens to listen to the authorities and follow directions from the first responders on site.
We'll continue to update this post as more comes in.
Here's what you need to know about the Yard itself:
The Naval Sea Systems Command is the largest of the Navy's commands, with a fiscal year budget of almost $30 billion. About 3,000 people work in the headquarters.
The Navy Yard, which is a national historic landmark, was for decades known as a "ceremonial gateway" to D.C.
Purchased in 1798, the Washington Navy Yard was established in October 1799 and built under the direction of the first secretary of the Navy.
The yard has a firm place in U.S. history: In 1865, the Lincoln assassination conspirators were brought there after they were captured; including the body of John Wilkes Booth.
The Navy Yard was ordered burned as the British marched on Washington during the War of 1812 to prevent its capture.
Weapons designed and built at the yard were used in every U.S. war until the 1960s.
An arial shot of the yard from 1991:
A torpedo shop at the yard during World War One:
And a shot from between 1861-1865:
The Washington Navy Yard photographed between 1861 and 1865.
A map of the area:
