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| An armored vehicle is pictured on the scene during Friday's shooting that claimed three innocent lives. |
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Four dead in shooting at Pensacola naval base; suspect was Saudi national
ABC News
Fri December 6, 2019
PENSACOLA, Florida - Four people are dead including the suspect after an active shooting incident at a naval base in Pensacola, Florida, police said.
The shooter was identified as Mohammed Alshamrani, a Saudi national and member of the country's air force who was in the U.S. for flight training, law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation told ABC News. Investigators are trying to determine whether the shooting was terror-related, the officials said.
Authorities responded to reports of a shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola at 6:51 a.m. on Friday, officials said. ATF and FBI also responded to the scene.
The shooting took place at one of the classroom buildings on the base, officials said. Officers with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office arrived on the scene and fatally shot the suspect after exchanging gunfire.
Three people, including the shooter, were pronounced dead on scene, police said. One victim was taken to the hospital and died from injuries.
Eight others injured in the shooting were transported to Baptist Hospital, police said. The condition of those victims has not been released.
None of the victims have been identified.
"This is a dark day for a very great place," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference Friday afternoon. "It not only strikes at the heart of the community of northwest Florida but throughout the Navy."
Two officers were among those wounded in the shooting. One officer was shot in the leg and is currently in surgery. The second officer was shot in the arm and is undergoing care at the hospital. They are both expected to survive.
"There's some real heroism today," Kinsella said.
The FBI is leading the investigation with local authorities and ATF assisting, officials said. The U.S. Attorney's Office is also involved.
"Walking through the crime scene was like being on the set of a movie," Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan told reporters earlier in the day, adding, "The threat has been negated, our community is secured at this time."
"Base security and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are currently investigating. The names of the victims will not be released until the next of kin have been notified," the Navy said in a statement.
A handgun was identified as the weapon used by the suspect. Only security forces are allowed to carry weapons on the base, according to Capt. Timothy Kinsella, commanding officer at NAS Pensacola.
The shooter was part of an international training service where officers from partner nations are brought to NAS Pensacola to train, Kinsella said, adding that the suspect was part of the "aviation pipeline."
President Donald Trump tweeted that the king of Saudi Arabia called to express his "sincere condolences."
The base is shut down until further notice, according to Kinsella.
Mental health coordinators have been sent to talk to witnesses and the victims' families, DeSantis said. The Department of Children and Family Services has sent a mobile response team to the area.
NAS Pensacola employs more than 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel, according to the base's website. The facility includes the Naval Aviation Schools Command, Naval Air Technical Training Center, Marine Aviation Training Support Group 21 and 23, the Blue Angels, and the headquarters for Naval Education Training Command.
This is the second shooting incident on a Navy base in the last week.
A 22-year-old active-duty sailor opened fire on three civilian employees, killing two, before he fatally shot himself at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard near Honolulu on Wednesday, military officials said.
The suspected shooter opened fire on shipyard personnel with his M4 service rifle and then used his M9 service pistol to shoot himself, officials said.
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