Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.
Update: At least 12 people are dead, including a shooter. Read more here.
Original post
Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a shooting at the Navy Yard in Southeast D.C. this morning. At least ten people, including a D.C. police officer and another law enforcement official, are injured. A shooter, as well as multiple victims, are dead, according to Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier.
An MPD spokesperson said a report came in at 8:25 a.m. The U.S. Navy confirmed the shooting, saying three shots were fired at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters at around 8:20 a.m. The Navy says approximately 3,000 people work in the building, and they were ordered to shelter in place.
The Navy said in a release that there was one confirmed injury. MPD later confirmed that five people, including an officer, were shot. The officer was shot in the legs, according to the Fire and EMS scanner.
The number of injured rose to ten just after 10 a.m., according to MPD. A police spokesperson told DCist that there was a possibility that there were two additional shooters. Chief Lanier confirmed at a press conference that there may be two other shooters, one white male and white black male wearing military uniforms.
Three of the victims, including the MPD officer, were taken to Washington Hospital Center. One victim was shot multiple times in the legs, one was shot in the shoulder and one was shot in the head and hands.
Janis Orlowski, chief medical officer for the Center, said all three have a good chance at survival. A spokesperson for Washington Hospital Center said victims reported hearing semi-automatic gunfire.
George Washington Hospital said one victim of the Navy Yard shooting was brought to them.
In a statement, Dr. Babak Sarani, chief of trauma and acute care surgery for GW, said a male victim in his 60s who was shot in the head was pronounced dead upon arrival to GW Hospital. Sarani also said that the hospital “has been notified that more patients may be transported to GW,” and that they have initiated emergency operations plan.
A witness described to a group of reporters hearing a “pop, pop, pop” inside building. She was escorted from the building by a security officer.
Navy Commander Tim Jirus, who works at NAVSEA, told reporters that he left the building when he heard the fire alarm. Once outside, he says a person tried to warn him about the shooting and was then shot in the head with a handgun.
Jirus said the shooting left him “a little unnerved,” and “Makes me like life a lot today.” He also explained that authorized personnel with Common Access Cards are able to bring weapons into the building.
Mayor Vince Gray urged people to stay away from the scene.
Please stay clear of the Washington Navy Yard and surrounding area this morning.
— Vincent C. Gray (@mayorvincegray) September 16, 2013
A White House official told a member of the press pool that President Obama “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 Mastromanaco. 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.”
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said in a statement, “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.”
A reader sent in this video of a medical evacuation helicopter leaving the scene. The reader said it was the fourth trip she witnessed the helicopter making.
This post will be continuously updated.
