Active shooter Navy Sea Systems Command DC

[ak474u]

There's an active shooter situation going on in DC. At least 10 down, and reports of 2-3 shooters.


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/16/active-shooter-at-washington-navy-yard/

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/16/20522196-gunman-opens-fire-at-navy-yard-in-washington-killing-at-least-4?lite) at nbcnews.com


Gunman opens fire at Navy Yard in Washington, killing at least 4

By Jim Miklaszewski, Pete Williams, Richard Esposito and Erin McClam, NBC News

A man brandishing an assault rifle, shotgun and handgun opened fire Monday inside a building at the Washington Navy Yard — killing at least four people and wounding at least seven more, including two police officers, authorities said.

SWAT officers swarmed the building, the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command, and a shooter there was killed, sources told NBC News. More than two hours after the first gunfire, there were reports that tactical teams were entering a second building at the Navy Yard.

The Washington police chief said there could be as many as two other shooters at large, one white and one black, both in military-style uniforms. Federal officials said that information appeared to be based on eyewitness reports and surveillance footage. But there was no confirmation of more than one person firing shots.

President Barack Obama said the rampage targeted patriots, military and civilian alike, “men and women who were going to work, doing their job, protecting all of us.”

Terrie Durham, who works at the Naval Sea Systems Command building, said she saw a gunman who appeared to be wearing dark fatigues. Another worker there, Todd Brundidge, said he heard a fire alarm go off, and later saw the gunman come around the corner.

“He turned our way and started firing, and we ran downstairs to get out of the building,” Brundidge said. “No words. He raised the gun and started firing.”

A naval security guard was among those shot and was hit in both legs, U.S. military officials said. Washington city police told WRC, the NBC affiliate in Washington, that one of their officers was also among those shot. It was not clear how many of the others shot were civilian and how many were military.

Patricia Ward, who works at the Navy Yard, said she had just gotten breakfast in the cafeteria when she heard “three gunshots, pow-pow-pow, straight in a row.”

“All of the people that were in the cafeteria, we all panicked, and we were trying to decide which way we were going to run out,” she said. “I just ran.”

Tim Hogan, a spokesman for Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada, posted photos to his Twitter account of people tending to at least one person down on a street corner.

Chaos enveloped the surrounding neighborhood for hours. Flights were briefly grounded at Reagan National Airport, and nearby schools and the headquarters of the Department of Transportation were locked down. Farther away, police stepped up security on the Capitol grounds.

Dr. Janis Orlowski, the chief medical officer at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, said that the hospital was treating three gunshot victims — a woman hit in the head and hand, a woman hit in the shoulder and a man hit in the legs.

She said that the victims came in alert and talking.

“They’re talking about gunshots that they heard in rapid succession,” she said.

George Washington University Hospital said it had one patient.

Obama, speaking at an event marking the fifth anniversary of the financial crisis, turned to the shooting and said: sawho was scheduled to speak to reporters about the five-year anniversary of the financial told reporters: “We are confronting yet another mass shooting, and today it happened on a military installation in our nation’s capital.”

“It’s a shooting that targeted our military and civilian personnel. These are men and women who were going to work, doing their job, protecting all of us. They’re patriots. And they know the dangers of serving abroad, but today they faced the unimaginable violence that they wouldn’t have expected here at home.”

The Navy said on its Twitter feed that three shots were fired at 8:20 a.m. ET at the Sea Systems Command headquarters. About 3,000 people work there, the Navy said. They were ordered to stay in place. WRC video showed a medical helicopter lifting someone off a roof.

“This is a huge piece of land with several building so it’s going to take some time for us to get through it and search it so we can make sure it’s safe,” Peter Newsham, assistant chief of the Washington police, told reporters.

Obama was getting regular briefings.

The Naval Sea Systems Command builds, buys and maintains ships and submarines and their combat systems. The Navy Yard is along the Anacostia River in Washington, near the Washington Nationals baseball stadium.

Tracy Connor, Kasie Hunt, Michael O’Brien and Andrew Rafferty of NBC News contributed to this report.

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/16/active-shooter-at-washington-navy-yard/) at Foxnews




At least 10 people injured in shooting at Navy building in Washington
Published September 16, 2013
FoxNews.com

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/16/active-shooter-at-washington-navy-yard/#ixzz2f4m3z7l0


DEVELOPING: At least 10 people have been shot — with multiple fatalities — at a Navy building in Washington by a gunman who was then killed but may not have acted alone, authorities said.

Shots were fired just after 8 a.m. at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters in southeast Washington, and in the ensuing hours there were conflicting reports on the number of victims and the number of gunmen, although a federal law enforcement official told Fox News that one shooter has died. Police said as many as two additional gunmen may still be at large, and thousands of workers who report to the building were being told to "shelter in place" until officials could safely evacuate them.

Many who managed to escape in the early minutes of the episode told of panic and fear after a shooter — described as a tall, African-American man with an AR-15 — opened fire.

"They sounded like 'pop, pop, pop,'" said Patricia Ward, a logistics management specialist who was in the cafeteria. "Everybody just panicked at first ... It was just people running, running, running.

“I just kept running," Ward said. "Our mission is to take care of the Navy ... After today, it’s not secure enough for me.”

The Associated Press reported six fatalities and police sources earlier told The Washington Post that as many as three shooters, including one in military fatigues, were involved in the incident.

Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the first call came in just after 8:15 a.m., and that officers were on the scene within seven minutes. She said on member of her department was shot after engaging with a shooter, who she said was killed. But she said there are "potentially two other shooters" who remain at large. One was described as a white male, last seen at 8:35 a.m. with handgun and wearing a short-sleeve khaki shirt and a beret-style hat that may have been military-issue.

Hours after police responded, authorities continued to search for suspects, and low-flying helicopters were spotted circling above the scene, dropping baskets to evacuate people from the complex.

Rick Mason, a program management analyst who is a civilian with the U.S. Navy, said a gunman was shooting from a fourth floor overlook in the hallway outside his office. Mason said the gunman was aiming down at people in the building's cafeteria on the first floor, adding that he could hear the shots but could not see a gunman.

Shortly after the gunfire, Mason said overhead speakers told workers to seek shelter and later to head for the gates at the complex.

People who were inside the building said a gunman wordlessly sprayed fire from an AR-15 assault rifle as terrified civilians and Navy members scattered.

“We saw him hold the rifle, and we saw him aim it in our direction,” a witness told FoxNews.com.

Another witness told WJLA: "We were looking, but he was down the hall far enough that we couldn't see a face. But we saw him hold the rifle and then we saw him raise it and aim in our direction."

Naval Sea Systems Command is the largest of the Navy's five system commands and accounts for a quarter of the Navy's entire budget. It builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and their combat systems.

Out of an abundance of caution, U.S. Capitol Police will conduct enhanced security operations on the Capitol Complex, although no known threat exists. Six schools have also reportedly been locked down as a precautionary measure.

White House officials, in a statement released shortly after the shooting, confirmed that President Obama had been briefed on the incident.

"The President directed his team to stay in touch with our federal partners, including the Navy and FBI, as well as the local officials," the statement read. "We urge citizens to listen to the authorities and follow directions from the first responders on site."

More than 20 members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) responded to the scene, including the same Special Response Team that extracted the alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev from the boat where he barricaded himself following the April 15 attack.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/16/active-shooter-at-washington-navy-yard/#ixzz2f4lyp5CS

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/16/us/dc-navy-yard-gunshots/index.html?hpt=hp_t1) at CNN



'Multiple' deaths in Navy Yard mass shooting; suspects may be on loose
By Barbara Starr and Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN
updated 12:56 PM EDT, Mon September 16, 2013


Washington (CNN) -- One suspect is dead after a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, but two others may be on the loose, the D.C. police chief said Monday.

"The big concern for us right now is that we potentially have two other shooters that we have not located at this point," Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier told reporters.

Multiple people were killed in the shooting rampage, Lanier said, which sent police in SWAT team gear swarming to the scene Monday morning.

Hours later, Lanier said authorities were still looking for a white man and a black man in military-style clothing who could be connected to the shooting.

"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," she said.

Earlier Monday, Ed Zeigler, director of public affairs for Naval District Washington, told CNN that two suspected shooters were "down," but a senior Navy official could not confirm whether there was more than one gunman.

"We will do everything in our power to make sure whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible," President Barack Obama said, adding the shooting "targeted military and civilian personnel."

"We still don't know all the facts. But we do know that several people have been shot and some have been killed," he said. "So we are confronting yet another mass shooting. And today it happened on a military installation in our nation's capital."

Live blog

Earlier, authorities said a gunman dressed in all black fired shots inside the Navy Yard, injuring at least 10 people.

Witness: 'He aimed his gun at us' and fired

The injured included a Washington police officer who has been hospitalized, and a base security guard officer, said Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Saray Leon.

Three people, including the D.C. police officer, were admitted to MedStar Washington Hospital Center with multiple gunshot wounds. They are expected to survive, chief medical officer Janis Orlowski told reporters.

One person was pronounced dead at George Washington University Hospital, according to Dr. Babak Sarani, chief of trauma and acute care there.

Meanwhile, at the Navy Yard, helicopters hovered overhead. In one chopper, there appeared to be a police sniper peering out, with a scope at the ready.

The incident started unfolding at 8:20 a.m. when several shots were fired inside the headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command in southeast Washington.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent a team of about 20 special agents to the scene, a law enforcement official said. The team was the same group that helped apprehend Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the official said.

Police spokesman Chris Kelly earlier described a suspect as an adult male, about 6 feet tall with a bald head and medium complexion, dressed in a black top and black jeans.

Two witnesses told CNN affiliate WJLA that they heard a fire alarm go off in the building where they worked, then saw a man with a rifle down the hallway as they exited the building.

"He aimed the gun and fired our way," a man who identified himself as Todd Brundidge told WJLA, adding, "I couldn't believe it."

People frantically tried to run out of the building, Brundidge said.

"Everyone was going down the stairs. They were pushing. They were shoving. People were falling down," he told WJLA. "As we came outside, people were climbing the wall trying to get over the wall to get out of the spaces. It was just crazy."

Emergency personnel, the FBI, U.S. Capitol Police and local D.C. police responded to the shooting, shutting down traffic in the area on the District's south side along the Anacostia River. Some people are being evacuated, and others are sheltering in place.

Security was stepped up at the Pentagon.

At least eight schools were on lockdown as a precaution, the Washington public schools said.

Air traffic to Reagan National Airport in northern Virginia, the closest airport to downtown Washington, was suspended but later resumed, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The headquarters -- the workplace for about 3,000 people -- is the largest of the Navy's five system commands. It has a fiscal year budget of nearly $30 billion.

"With a force of 60,000 civilian, military and contract support personnel, NAVSEA engineers, builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and their combat systems," the Navy said.

The Washington Navy Yard -- the Navy's oldest land establishment -- was created in 1799 following an act of Congress, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command. Originally envisioned as a shipbuilding and fitting facility on the Anacostia River, it serviced some of the Navy's most famous early vessels, including the USS Constitution.

Burned during the War of 1812, the Navy Yard was transformed into a center for ordnance and technological development. The facility was the world's largest ordnance plant during World War II, but its military role steadily diminished during the Cold War era.

Today, the Navy Yard includes the headquarters of Naval District Washington and is home to a naval museum. The area around the facility has been marked in recent years by significant commercial and residential revitalization.

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://news.sky.com/story/1142428/washington-navy-yard-shooting-several-dead) at skynews


Washington Navy Yard Shooting: Several Dead
5:46pm UK, Monday 16 September 2013

Police are hunting two gunmen dressed in military uniform after an attack on a US naval base, which left at least six people dead.


Barack Obama says the attackers will be held responsible for killing "patriots" on US soil as police hunt two gunmen still at large at the Washington naval yard.

Police say three men launched an attack on the US Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters at the naval yard in Washington, killing a number of people and injuring others.

One of the gunmen has been shot dead but police are now hunting another two, who are said to be dressed in military uniforms.

The men launched their attack on one of the biggest naval command buildings in the US at around 8.20am - the early morning rush as people started work.

Navy officials said at least six people were killed in the attack, a number of others are being treated for gunshot injuries in local hospitals.

Washington DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier said that one officer had been hit in a shoot-out with the gunmen and one of the gunmen had been killed.

She said: "The big concern for us at the moment is that we potentially have two other shooters."

Police Chief Lanier said one of the men was white and dressed in a khaki, tan navy-style uniform with a beret, while the second man was black, aged around 50 and wearing olive drab uniform.

However, she said there was no indication that the men were actually military personnel.

She said that there had been multiple victims of the shootings but would not confirm an exact number.

Speaking ahead of a planned speech on the economy, President Barack Obama, who was being regularly briefed on the rapidly unfolding situation, said the attack was a "tragedy" and confirmed a number of people had been killed.

He said: "We are confronting yet another mass shooting and today it happened on a military institution in our nation's capital.

"It's a shooting that targeted our military and civilian personnel. These are men and women who were going to work doing their job protecting all of us.

"They are patriots and they know the dangers of serving abroad but today they faced the unimaginable violence that they wouldn't expect here at home."

He vowed to find those responsible and said that America would stand by the families of those who had lost their lives.

Witnesses had earlier described a gunman opening fire from the fourth floor, aiming down on people in the first-floor cafeteria. Others said a gunman fired at them in a third-floor hallway.

Patricia Ward, who works at the command centre, and witnessed the attack said: "It just happened so fast."

She said that a gunman had been shooting into the atrium and added: "but I didn’t pay any attention to that, I just kept on running."

Responding to questions about the level of security at the base Ms Ward said: "It's not secure enough for me."

She said that staff had to have a card to get on to the complex and that without one it would be difficult to pass security.

Todd Brundidge, an executive assistant with Navy Sea Systems Command, said he and other co-workers encountered a gunman in a hallway of their building on the third floor.

"He just turned and started firing," he said.

Terrie Durham, an executive assistant, said she also saw the gunman firing toward her and Mr Brundridge.

"He aimed high and missed," she said. "He said nothing. As soon as I realised he was shooting, we just said, 'Get out of the building.'"

Officials at MedStar Washington Hospital Center said two shooting victims had been brought there.


Sky News US Correspondent Greg Milam said: "If it is confirmed there is more than one gunman it suggests a level of coordination, of planing, maybe something more than just domestic issues, maybe you start then to question whether there is a terrorist motivation."

Tim Jones, a journalist with Sky News radio, said that when he visited the navy yard in April this year, he had found there were very few security checks to get on to the base.

He said: "I showed my passport at the security gate, and got waved through. No scanners, no pat-downs, nothing.

I was only there to visit the museum, but got totally lost on the site, and was never challenged. My impression is there's a very significant civilian workforce on this base."

One of the gunmen, has been described as black, wearing dark clothing and around 5ft 10ins. They were said to have been carrying AR-15 rifles.

The weapon is the country's best selling rifle and the same weapon used in the both the Aurora cinema shooting where 12 were killed and the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut last year, where gunman Adam Lanza killed 20 children.

Secretary of the navy Ray Mabus said: "I'm deeply shocked and saddened by the shooting this morning at the Navy Yard.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. I have complete confidence in our first responders, and I continue to be completely focused on this very difficult situation."

Naval Sea Systems Command is the largest of the Navy's five system commands and accounts for a quarter of the Navy's entire budget.

It builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and their combat systems.

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24111481) at BBC



'Multiple' people killed at Washington Navy Yard
16 September 2013 Last updated at 13:06 ET

Police in Washington have confirmed "multiple" people were killed in a mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, a naval installation in the US capital.

At least four others including a police officer were injured, officials said.

Police entered an office building in search of a gunman, after shots were fired at 08:20 local time (13:20 GMT).

One gunman was killed at the scene and police are searching for two other "potential" gunmen, Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.

A 50-year-old Navy employee whose employment status had recently changed has been identified as the deceased gunman, ABC News reported.

Officials are searching the area surrounding the Navy Yard in south-east Washington DC for two additional suspects in military-style uniform, Ms Lanier said.

"The big concern for us right now is that we potentially have two other shooters that we have not located," she said.

She described one as a white male in a tan short-sleeve military-style outfit and beret hat. He was last seen about 08:35 local time carrying a handgun.

A black male approximately 50 years of age and wearing olive kit was seen carrying a long gun and is also being sought.
'Severe' injuries

Washington Mayor Vincent Gray said four people were wounded in the shooting. Ms Lanier said "multiple victims" were deceased.

Gunman 'aimed at us'

The US Navy said shots were reported fired at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters at the yard in south-east Washington DC.

At least three people suffering "severe" gunshot wounds were brought to Washington Hospital Center by helicopter, said chief medical officer Janis Orlowski.

A Washington DC Metropolitan Police officer suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his legs, a female civilian was shot in the head and hand, and another woman was being treated for a shoulder wound, she said.

All three were in critical condition but their chances for survival were "very good", Dr Orlowski said.
Continue reading the main story

Eyewitness Patricia Ward reported hearing at least seven shots from inside a cafeteria on Monday morning.

"It just happened so fast… I just ran," she said.

Cmdr Tim Juris was on the fourth floor of the building when he heard shots, he told the BBC.

"It sounded like a cap gun as opposed to a real gun," he said.

'Unimaginable violence'

Professor Gary Solis explains what the Washington Navy Yard does

In the minutes following the initial reports, dozens of emergency vehicles converged on the site. Helicopters have been flying overhead.

The Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department has instructed family members to reunite at the car park of a nearby baseball stadium.

President Barack Obama has been briefed on the matter by senior aides and has directed federal agencies to co-ordinate their response and investigation efforts.

At the White House, Mr Obama said he mourned "yet another mass shooting" and sent his thoughts and prayers to the victims.

"These are men and women going to work and doing their job," he said. "They know the dangers of serving abroad, but today they face the unimaginable violence that they wouldn't have expected here at home."

As many as 3,000 people work at the command, which engineers, purchases, builds and maintains ships and submarines for the Navy.

The Washington Navy Yard is the US Navy's oldest shore installation, first opened in the early 19th Century, according to the Navy.

[Stormfeather]

Current update says that it was possibly 1 shooter, possibly/currently neutralized, 4 dead total, 12 wounded (number varies by network)

[apssbc]

Latest press conference reports 12 dead, no information on how many wounded. 1 suspect dead, searching for 2 possible other perps. No statement whether or not there considered possible shooters or just related in someway to the dead perp.

[Possom]

Okay I am going to sound all tin foil hat crazy for a bit. Ask yourself this question. Why has mass shooting jumped 1000% under the current administration? Not trying to relate this to politics at all. It just seems strange to me that we have had such a large increase in mass shootings over the last few years. My question is. Are at least part of these shootings government sponsored?

[apssbc]

I don't think so. We've had plenty of shootings through past administrations. I think the world is a crazier place and we have more enemies now then ever. Plus these events are very media driven more than ever. Instant news from all over isn't exactly a good thing IMHO.

Lets not get this off track with political posts. We all have out opinions and most of us have similar opinions and thoughts but we can't let it derail this thread.

[ak474u]

Okay I am going to sound all tin foil hat crazy for a bit. Ask yourself this question. Why has mass shooting jumped 1000% under the current administration? Not trying to relate this to politics at all. It just seems strange to me that we have had such a large increase in mass shootings over the last few years. My question is. Are at least part of these shootings government sponsored?

Societal decay, a general disrespect for others, etc. without going into politics, I don't think the current admin has helped the situation.


Al Qaeda called for attacks just a few days ago, so we'll see how this all pans out. My advice: stock up on those needed mags and parts for your rifles.

[ak474u]

The confirmed shooter is Aaron Alexis from Fort Worth, TX. He's close to my age, and his name sounds vaguely familiar. Don't know why, but I've heard that name, I wonder if he has a brother I worked with or went to school with?

[ElevenBravo]

These whack'os are putting the pinch on us God fearing red blooded, gun owning AMERICANS! All these new laws and EOs are doing NOTHING to stop the crimes and everything to put us in restraints.

I honestly wish there were a simple "flip a switch" solution to this problem.

Note to future whack-os: Please entertain the though of using chain saws, or other unconventional weapons OTHER than firearms so as to not give power to the anti-gun group's movement!

TIA,
EB

[Stormfeather]

Ugh. . . never a good thing knowing the bad guy in any media event!

As far as Possums TFH, hey guys, Im pretty sure I called this about 2 years ago when I said, we are going to see an escalation in events involving shooters in mass shootings. Its a perfect storm, angry people, no work, no money, gov't on the loose, PTSD'ed vets losingout on bennies, or just becoming frustrated with the system lashing out in the only way they know how, personally, I think its going to get alot worse.

[ak474u]

I've asked everybody I still talk to at old jobs, nobody knows him or has heard the name. I guess I had a negligent discharge of my déjÃ* vu.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

I've been holding off to comment on this one while it's been playing out. 1st there's one shooter, then there's three, then there's one. Now why the Navy Yard? This is a prime target, lots of assets here, There had to be more to it than just shooting up a bunch of people. I've been playin this one in my head all day. Just doesn't make sense unless you had an objective. Then you end up with this guy.........I'm not buying it. There's an objective... I mean the Navy Yard? WTFO?

[ak474u]

I've been holding off to comment on this one while it's been playing out. 1st there's one shooter, then there's three, then there's one. Now why the Navy Yard? This is a prime target, lots of assets here, There had to be more to it than just shooting up a bunch of people. I've been playin this one in my head all day. Just doesn't make sense unless you had an objective. Then you end up with this guy.........I'm not buying it. There's an objective... I mean the Navy Yard? WTFO?

Yeah, there's more to it. Why steal an ID? wasn't he working there as a contractor? Something doesn't jive with the story, and I'm not really into tinfoil stuff. It's looking like he got his evil assault rifle from someone he took down during the shooting. Sorry Diane Feinstein.

[apssbc]

Per the FBI briefing. No AR was involved. Just a shotgun and possibly a pistol. Also he used his I'd to get on base where he worked as a contractor for HP.

[Stormfeather]

http://news.yahoo.com/gunman-navy-yard-rampage-hearing-voices-142217356.html


Law enforcement officials speaking on condition of anonymity told the AP on Monday that the gunman carried an AR-15 assault rifle. On Tuesday, they said he used a shotgun plus two handguns that he took from law officers at the scene. They said he did not actually use the AR-15, which was found at the scene.

Well, at least he didnt use an AR-15. . . but lets see how long it takes them to keep saying that he did!

[ElevenBravo]

but lets see how long it takes them to keep saying that he did!
Yup SF... got that right.... Everything I read says AR AR AR AR (Etc..)... Above is the first I heard that there wasnt one use.

EB

[FL-Jeeper]

Yup SF... got that right.... Everything I read says AR AR AR AR (Etc..)... Above is the first I heard that there wasnt one use.

EB

I saw a screenshot from an MSNBC article stating the shooter used an 'AR15 Shotgun'... *smh* mighta been a joke but it sounds about right for MSM freakshow.

Edit: it was CNN, not MSNBC.

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/09/17/navy-yard-gunman-was-hearing-voices.html?comp=7000023467962&rank=3) at Millitary.com


Navy Yard Gunman Was Hearing Voices

Sep 17, 2013

Associated Press| by Eric Tucker, Brett Zongker and Lolita C. Baldor

WASHINGTON -- The former Navy reservist who slaughtered 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard had been hearing voices and was being treated for mental problems in the weeks before the shooting rampage, but was not stripped of his security clearance, officials said Tuesday.

Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old information technology employee with a defense contractor, used a valid pass to get into the highly secured installation Monday morning and started firing inside a building, the FBI said. He was killed in a gun battle with police.

The motive for the mass shooting -- the deadliest on a military installation in the U.S. since the attack at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009 -- was a mystery, investigators said.

U.S. law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that there was no known connection to international or domestic terrorism and that investigators have found no manifesto or other writings suggesting a political or religious motivation.

Alexis had been suffering a host of serious mental problems, including paranoia and a sleep disorder, and had been hearing voices in his head, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the criminal investigation was still going on.

He had been treated since August by Veterans Affairs for his mental problems, the officials said.

The Navy had not declared him mentally unfit, which would have rescinded a security clearance Alexis had from his earlier time in the Navy Reserves.

The assault is likely to raise more questions about the adequacy of the background checks done on contract employees and others who are issued security clearances -- an issue that came up most recently with National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, an IT employee with a government contractor.

In the hours after the Navy Yard attack, a profile of Alexis began coming into focus.

A Buddhist convert who had also had flare-ups of rage, Alexis, a black man who grew up in New York City and whose last known address was in Fort Worth, Texas, complained about the Navy and being a victim of discrimination. He also had two run-ins with the law over shootings in 2004 and 2010 in Texas and Seattle.

In addition to those killed at the Navy Yard attack, eight people were hurt, including three who were shot and wounded, authorities. Those three were a police officer and two female civilians, authorities said. They were all expected to survive.

Monday's onslaught at a single building at the Navy Yard unfolded about 8:20 a.m. in the heart of the nation's capital, less than four miles from the White House and two miles from the Capitol. It put all of Washington on edge.

"This is a horrific tragedy," Mayor Vincent Gray said.

Alexis carried three weapons: an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun that he took from a police officer at the scene, according to two federal law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

The AR-15 is the same type of rifle used in last year's mass shooting at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school that killed 20 students and six women. The weapon was also used in the shooting at a Colorado movie theater that killed 12 and wounded 70.

For much of the day Monday, authorities said they were looking for a possible second attacker who may have been disguised in an olive-drab military-style uniform. But by late Monday night, they said they were convinced the shooting was the work of a lone gunman, and the lockdown around the area was eased.

"We do now feel comfortable that we have the single and sole person responsible for the loss of life inside the base today," Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.

President Barack Obama lamented yet another mass shooting in the U.S. that he said took the lives of American "patriots." He promised to make sure "whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible."

The FBI took charge of the investigation.

The attack came four years after Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan killed 13 people at Fort Hood in what he said was an effort to save the lives of Muslims overseas. He was convicted last month and sentenced to death.

The dead in the Navy Yard attack ranged in age from 46 to 73, according to the mayor. A number of the victims were civilian employees and contractors, rather than active-duty military personnel, the police chief said.

At the time of the rampage, Alexis was an employee with The Experts, a company that was a Defense Department subcontractor on a Navy-Marine Corps computer project, authorities said.

Valerie Parlave, head of the FBI's field office in Washington, said Alexis had access to the Navy Yard as a defense contractor and used a valid pass.

Alexis had been a full-time Navy reservist from 2007 to early 2011, leaving as a petty officer third class, the Navy said. It did not say why he left. He had been an aviation electrician's mate with a unit in Fort Worth.

The Washington Navy Yard is a sprawling, 41-acre labyrinth of buildings and streets protected by armed guards and metal detectors, and employees have to show their IDs at doors and gates. More than 18,000 people work there.

The rampage took place at Building 197, the headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command, which buys, builds and maintains ships and submarines. About 3,000 people work at headquarters, many of them civilians.

Witnesses on Monday described a gunman opening fire from a fourth-floor overlook, aiming down on people on the main floor, which includes a glass-walled cafeteria. Others said a gunman fired at them in a third-floor hallway.

Patricia Ward, a logistics-management specialist, said she was in the cafeteria getting breakfast.

"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 said.

-- Associated Press writers Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Jesse Holland, Stacy A. Anderson, Brian Witte and Ben Nuckols in Washington contributed to this report.

Sigh....

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/17/20542864-navy-yard-shooter-aaron-alexis-was-not-happy-with-america-friend-says?lite) at NBC news



Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis was 'not happy with America,' friend says

By Mark Potter and Charles Hadlock, NBC News

FORT WORTH, Texas — Aaron Alexis was so unhappy with his life in America — where he was beset by money woes and felt slighted as a veteran — that he was "ready to move out of the country" last year, a friend said Tuesday.

Aaron Alexis, the man police say shot and killed 12 people in a Washington Navy Yard, reportedly called police to complain about people following him and that he was hearing voices. He sought mental health treatment from a nearby VA hospital, officials said. NBC's Pete Williams reports.

"He was tired of dealing with the government," said Kristi Suthamtewkal, whose husband owns the Thai Bowl Restaurant in Fort Worth, where Alexis worked in exchange for room and board.

But instead of leaving the U.S., the former Navy reservist relocated from Texas to Virginia, where an IT company called The Experts put him on a government contract at the Washington Navy Yard.

A day after Alexis, 34, gunned down 12 people at the yard, new details emerged of his troubled past — from his preoccupation with 9/11 to recent mental problems that included hearing voices in his head.

Investigators said Tuesday that a preliminary probe has turned up no evidence that Alexis participated in rescue operations at Ground Zero, as his father once told police.

He was, however, employed as a clerical worker at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, in the shadow of the Twin Towers, when they were destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001.

“He talked about 9/11 and where he was and how the buildings had collapsed and he couldn’t believe that...and how he was upset with the terrorists for taking innocent lives," Suthamtewkal said.

Kristi Suthamtewakul via Reuters

Aaron Alexis in an undated photograph provided by Kristi Suthamtewakul, wife of "Happy Bowl" Thai restaurant owner Nutpisit Suthamtewakul.

Melinda Downs, who took in Alexis after he moved out of the Suthamtewkals' house last year, said he told her he suffered from post-traumatic stress after "surviving 9/11 in New York."

And when Alexis was arrested in Seattle in 2004, for shooting at a parked car in what he called an "anger-fueled blackout," he brought up 9/11 during his interrogation and "how those events had disturbed him," police said.

Three years after that arrest, Alexis enlisted in the Navy Reserves and served as an aviation electrician's mate — a third-class petty officer — before he was given an honorable discharge in January 2011.

Military officials acknowledged that Alexis had disciplinary issues including absence without permission, insubordination and disorderly conduct.

Among the problems: an arrest in September 2010 by Fort Worth police after he accidentally fired a bullet into the apartment above him while he was cleaning a gun with slippery hands. Prosecutors determined that there wasn’t enough evidence to bring a recklessness case.

After his discharge, Alexis began an online course in aeronautics with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He worshiped at a Buddhist Temple and was befriended by Suthamtewkal's husband, Oui, who " took him under his wing and took care of him."

He was given a room at their house in exchange for help at the restaurant, where he was one of the more popular waiters.

"Everybody loved him," Kristi Suthamtewkal said.

He spent a lot of time in his room, burning incense, she said. Michael Ritrobato, a handyman at the restaurant, said Alexis played violent online video games but was good-natured, not angry.

After he returned from a contract job in Japan in Nov. 2012, he didn't seem as easy-going, though.

He felt like he had been cheated out of money from the contract and complained that he was mistreated because he was black, Kristi Suthamtewkal said.

"He felt a lot of discrimination and and racism with white people especially," she said.

There was also a growing sense of entitlement and disrespect, she said. "He did have the tendency to feel like people owed him something all the time."

He got annoyed when she couldn't give him rides, and he started eating the couple's food without permission, and ignoring her when she complained, she said. When her cats developed fleas, he was angry.

Mostly, though, she felt like he was fed up with the United States.

Fort Worth Police via Reuters

Aaron Alexis in a Fort Worth Police Department handout photo.

“I knew he was not happy with America and he felt slighted as a veteran and he was ready to move out of the country," she said.

When he abruptly left their house in July, he went to live with Melinda and Marvin Downs.

"He would get really quiet sometimes, put his head down," Melinda said. "You would see him in thought but not in rage, not angry at the world."

After he left Fort Worth for a series of jobs on the East Coast, Alexis kept in touch with the Downses. The last they heard from him, on Sept. 9, he said everything was going well in Washington.

Even before Monday morning, though, there were signs that wasn't true.

He sought treatment with the Veterans Administration for paranoia and hearing voices in two states.

In August, Newport, R.I., police were called to a Marriott Hotel room where Alexis said he was being followed by three people and heard voices coming from his closet. He couldn't sleep because he thought they were using a microwave machine to send vibrations through the ceiling, the police report says.

His small circle of friends in Fort Worth say they saw no evidence of mental illness or aggression and struggled to reconcile the accusations against their friend with the man they knew.

"I don't know him as a monster. I choose to rather remember him as being the jokester. An honorable young man — not the one that flipped out and just went off on everybody," Melinda Downs said.

Kristi Suthamtewkal recalled his devotion to the Wat Busayadhammavanaram temple.

"Buddhism is a religion of peace," she said. "It does not make sense."

Pete Williams, Jim Miklaszewski, Richard Esposito, Jonathan Dienst and Shimon Prokupecz also contributed to this report.

[The Stig]

Original story HERE at Reuters



U.S. Navy was warned that Washington shooter 'heard voices'

Tue, Sep 17 2013

FBI says shooter had valid pass to get into Washington Navy Yard
Tue, Sep 17 2013


By Phil Stewart and Scott Malone

WASHINGTON/BOSTON | Tue Sep 17, 2013 7:43pm EDT

(Reuters) - Rhode Island police warned the U.S. Navy last month that Washington Navy Yard gunman Aaron Alexis had reported "hearing voices," raising further questions about how he gained security clearance at the complex where he went on a shooting rampage.

Officials say Alexis, a Navy contractor and former Navy reservist, opened fire at the Naval Sea Systems Command on Monday, killing 12 people before police shot him dead.

The shooting - a mile and a half from the U.S. Capitol and three miles from the White House - sent shockwaves through Washington.

The Pentagon said it would review security at military installations around the world and the White House promised to review standards for federal government contractors.

A Defense Department Inspector General's report published on Tuesday revealed security lapses that allowed 52 convicted felons to gain access to Navy facilities because budget cuts had undermined vetting.

Meanwhile, the U.S. capital paused to remember the victims, aged 46 to 73, who included retirees, parents and a bird lover.

Police in Newport, Rhode Island, were so concerned about Alexis' behavior on a business trip there in August that they alerted Navy police.

Alexis told police he believed people were following him and "sending vibrations into his body," according to a Newport police report.

He told police that he had twice moved hotels to avoid the noise he heard coming through the floor and the ceiling of his rooms, and that the people following him were using "some sort of microwave machine" to prevent him from sleeping.

"Based on the naval base implications and the claim that the involved subject, one (Aaron Alexis) was 'hearing voices,' I made contact with the on-duty Naval Station police," a Newport police officer wrote, adding that he faxed his report of the incident to Navy police.

The Newport police report said Navy police had promised to check if Alexis was in fact a naval base contractor.

Asked for comment, a spokesman said the Navy was looking into the matter, without confirming any details.

In addition, CNN reported that Alexis had contacted two Veterans Administration hospitals recently and was believed to be seeking psychological help.

"Initial reports indicate that this is an individual who may have had some mental health problems," U.S. President Barack Obama told Spanish-language network Telemundo.

"The fact that we do not have a firm enough background check system is something that makes us more vulnerable to these kinds of mass shootings."

The Navy gave Alexis an honorable discharge despite a series of eight to 10 misconduct charges, ranging from traffic offenses to disorderly conduct.

SECURITY CLEARANCE

Using a valid pass as an information technology contractor with a private company, Alexis entered the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters with a shotgun - bought legally in Virginia - and gained access to a handgun after he started firing, officials said.

He started picking off victims in a cafeteria from a fourth-floor atrium, witnesses said. Eight people were hurt, three with gunshot wounds, before Alexis was killed in a gun battle with police.

A U.S. defense official said a National Agency Check, a type of background check, was completed on Alexis in August 2007 and he was determined eligible to handle "secret" material in March 2008. Such clearances are valid for 10 years, meaning Alexis had no need to renew his.

Alexis' employer said it had enlisted a service to make what appeared to be two standard, employment background checks on him over the past year, finding only a traffic violation while twice confirming his "secret"-level security clearance with the U.S. Defense Department.

"The latest background check and security clearance confirmation were in late June of 2013 and revealed no issues other than one minor traffic violation," The Experts, an information technology company, said in a statement.

Alexis was arrested on September 4, 2010, in Fort Worth, Texas, on a misdemeanor charge of discharging a firearm. He was also arrested in Seattle in 2004 for shooting out a construction worker's car tires in an anger-fueled "blackout" triggered by perceived "disrespect," police said. In 2008, he was cited for disorderly conduct in DeKalb County, Georgia, when he was kicked out of a club for damaging furnishings and cursing.

In each case, the charges were dropped.

People who knew Alexis said they were shocked by the shooting, describing him as a lover of Thai culture who worshipped at a Buddhist temple in Texas, although one acquaintance told reporters he had an unnatural affection for violent video games.

The Navy Yard was closed to all but essential personnel on Tuesday. Military police were stationed at the four entrances, checking the identifications of the employees who were being allowed back in. Other personnel milled around outside, hoping to retrieve cars that remained locked inside the gates.

"I've never ever felt unsafe at this place," said David Berlin, a civilian who works at the Navy Yard as an assistant program manager building weapons systems. "If someone wants to skirt the rules, they can do that, but you trust your colleagues."

(Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball, Deborah Charles, Ian Simpson, and Alina Selyukh; Writing by Daniel Trotta; editing by Christopher Wilson)

Bold #1: We don't talk politics here so please don't go down that road. That said, you can clearly see how they are trying to twist this wacko's actions to get further control. Prep accordingly.

Bold #2: This is what I'm reading in various places....he bought the shotgun legally and then acquired the pistol and AR in the middle of the fight.

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://dailycaller.com/2013/09/17/politicians-media-outlets-red-faced-over-wrong-claims-about-gun-in-navy-yard-shootings/) at The Daily Caller



Politicians, media outlets red-faced over wrong claims about gun in Navy Yard shootings
7:25 PM 09/17/2013

Chuck Ross

Media, politicians and activists had to backpedal Tuesday after an FBI spokesperson said there is no evidence that Aaron Alexis, the gunman who murdered 12 people in the Navy Yard shooting Monday, used an AR-15 in the massacre.

“We do not have any information at this time that [Alexis] had an AR-15 in his possession,” said FBI assistant director Victoria Parlave at a press conference on Tuesday. Parlave said that it is now believed that Alexis, 34, possessed a shotgun when he entered the Navy Yard.

Parlave also said that Alexis had “legitimate access” to the military installation.

Alexis, a former Navy reservist, may have had access to a handgun after the shooting began, said Parlave.

Many outlets reported the initial claim that Alexis used an AR-15 in the attack.

The New York Daily News ran a front page headline which read “Same Gun Different Slay” in reference to the Aurora, Colorado theater shooting and the massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school.

The Daily News front page contained another error — it used a picture of the crime scene which turned out to be a unrelated to the shooting.

The website BuzzFeed posted a now-corrected article featuring several pictures of the AR-15 citing the gun as being used in the Navy Yard shooting.

MSNBC’s Alex Wagner continued to use a graphic of the Navy Yard shooter wielding the large AR-15 in a report on Tuesday, hours after CNN issued a report that federal officials were backing away from the AR-15 claim.

On Monday a federal law enforcement official told USA Today Alexis was “armed with an AR-15, which is a light-weight semi-automatic rifle, as well as a shotgun and a handgun.”

The Los Angeles Times also reported that Alexis was engaged in a “running gun battle” with Navy security guards while carrying the AR-15.

The Washington Post editorial board asked how Alexis acquired “his weapons (an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun and a semiautomatic pistol were reportedly found on him).”

The New York Times cited the false claim as well. “Three weapons were found on Mr. Alexis: an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun and a semiautomatic pistol, a senior law enforcement officer said,” the Times reported.

CNN talk show host Piers Morgan reiterated the false report on his show Monday evening saying that the Navy Yard “was still infiltrated by a man with a legally purchased AR-15, who just committed the same kind of atrocity as we saw at Sandy Hook, and Aurora.”

Politicians also mimicked Monday’s error.

California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein released a statement on Monday which read, “This is one more event to add to the litany of massacres that occur when a deranged person or grievance killer is able to obtain multiple weapons — including a military-style assault rifle — and kill many people in a short amount of time. When will enough be enough?”

“A gunman appeared with an assault rifle, and several other weapons,” said Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin in a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday morning.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/09/17/politicians-media-outlets-red-faced-over-wrong-claims-about-gun-in-navy-yard-shootings/#ixzz2fG9PjTMu

[helomech]

Well there is a AR-15 style shotgun, wonder if that is what he used.

[ak474u]

Well there is a AR-15 style shotgun, wonder if that is what he used.

870 is what he used.

[The Stig]

Original story HERE (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/24153252) at BBC



Navy Yard: Swat team 'stood down' at mass shooting scene
By Debbie Siegelbaum BBC News, Washington

One of the first teams of heavily armed police to respond to Monday's shooting in Washington DC was ordered to stand down by superiors, the BBC can reveal.

A tactical response team of the Capitol Police, a force that guards the US Capitol complex, was told to leave the scene by a supervisor instead of aiding municipal officers.

The Capitol Police department said senior officials were investigating.

Aaron Alexis, 34, killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard.

"I don't think it's a far stretch to say that some lives may have been saved if we were allowed to intervene," a Capitol Police source familiar with the incident told the BBC.

A former Navy reservist, Alexis was working as a technical contractor for the Navy and had a valid pass and security clearance allowing him entry to the highly secure building in south-east Washington DC.

About 8:15 local time (12:15 GMT), Alexis entered Building 197, headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command, which builds and maintains ships and submarines for the Navy, and opened fire.

Armed with a shotgun and a pistol he took from a guard he had shot, he sprayed bullets down a hallway and fired from a balcony down on to workers in an atrium.

He fired on police officers who eventually stormed the building, and was later killed in the shootout.

Multiple sources in the Capitol Police department have told the BBC that its highly trained and heavily armed four-man Containment and Emergency Response Team (Cert) was near the Navy Yard when the initial report of an active shooter came in about 8:20 local time.

The officers, wearing full tactical gear and armed with HK-416 assault weapons, arrived outside Building 197 a few minutes later, an official with knowledge of the incident told the BBC.

According to a Capitol Police source, an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Washington DC's main municipal force, told the Capitol Cert officers they were the only police on the site equipped with long guns and requested their help stopping the gunman.

When the Capitol Police team radioed their superiors, they were told by a watch commander to leave the scene, the BBC was told.

The gunman, Aaron Alexis, was reported killed after 9:00.

Several Capitol Police sources who spoke to the BBC asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal.

Capitol Police Officer Jim Konczos, who leads the officers' union, said the Cert police train for what are known as active shooter situations and are expert marksmen.

"Odds are it might have had a different outcome," he said of Monday's shooting and the decision to order the Cert unit to stand down. "It probably could have been neutralised."

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police Department, which protects the city of Washington DC, said allegations that a Capitol Police Cert team was on scene and later stood down were "not true".

On Wednesday, the Capitol Police said in a statement its leadership had "opened a preliminary investigation into the allegations".

"The [Capitol Police] offered and provided mutual support and assistance at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday," said spokeswoman Lt Kimberly Schneider.

'A blind eye'

Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terry Gainer, who oversees the Capitol Police department, confirmed officials were pulling radio logs from Monday's incident and interviewing the officers involved.

"It's a very serious allegation and inference to indicate that we were on scene and could have helped and were told to leave," he said. "It crushes me if that's the case."

Mr Gainer said that while the department's primary responsibility was to protect the Capitol complex, which houses the US Congress, that mission did not allow it to turn a "blind eye" when asked for help.

Alexis had a history of mental health problems, previous gun-related brushes with the law, and citations for insubordination.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel acknowledged "there were a lot of red flags" in Alexis' background that had been missed in the security clearance process which ultimately resulted in his having access to the secure building where he undertook the attack.

"Why they didn't get picked up, why they didn't get incorporated into the clearance process, what he was doing, those are all legitimate questions that we're going to be dealing with," he told reporters.

Right call?

The victims

Michael Arnold, 59
Sylvia Frasier, 53
Kathleen Gaarde, 62
John Roger Johnson, 73
Frank Kohler, 50
Kenneth Proctor, 46
Vishnu Pandit, 61
Martin Bodrog, 54
Arthur Daniels, 51
Mary Francis Knight, 51
Gerald Read, 58
Richard Michael Ridgell, 52

He said he had ordered the Pentagon to conduct a wide-ranging review of the physical security at all US defence installations across the world and of the security clearance process.

"Where there are gaps, we will close them," he said. "Where there are inadequacies, we will address them. And where there are failures, we will correct them."

A Capitol Police officer who heard the Cert request over the radio to engage the gunman reported colleagues within the department felt frustrated they were told to stand down.

The officer described a culture in which emergency responders are instructed to not extend themselves beyond the Capitol grounds for fear of discipline.

"They were relying on our command staff to make the right call," another Capitol Police officer said. "Unfortunately, I don't think that happened in this case."

[ak474u]

Well there is a AR-15 style shotgun, wonder if that is what he used.

I'm waiting to see a report that his shotgun had a "600 round assault clip"

[izzyscout21]

Last i checked, According to the FBI there was no AR15.

[Stormfeather]

Yea Izzy, we get that, but you know MSM isnt going to let a little thing like facts get in the way of reporting the news.