Shootings at the Washington Navy Yard

[Edward Campbell]

The Wall Street Journal is reporting there are multiple fatalities at a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard/Sea Systems Command HQ this morning.

Edit to add: Also reported, now, in Globe and Mail, that there are four dead.

See also, this video from the Good Grey Globe's web site.

 

[Lightguns]

CNN is saying 10 dead, 1 shooter on the run.

 

[myself.only]

CNN is saying 10 dead, 1 shooter on the run.

CNN is now reporting 10 injured, number dead unknown

 

[The Bread Guy]

1)  Up to 12 dead @ this point ....

At least 12 people have been killed in the Monday morning shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief of Police Cathy L. Lanier said in a news conference shortly after 2 p.m. EST on Monday.

Lanier confirmed one suspected shooter has been killed and MPD wants to speak to two more suspects, she said at the news conference near the Navy Yard in Southeast Washington, D.C.

“We have multiple pieces of information that said there were two other individuals with firearms,” Lainer said.
“We are still doing an extensive search.” ....

2) Suspect descriptions from the DC police Twitter feed:

Navy Yd Suspects  B/M 50 yrs, w/rifle, drab olive military uniform; S2  W/M pistol, Navy-style khaki uniform, short slv,beret ....

 

[DAA]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/u-s-navy-yard-shooting-in-washington-leaves-13-dead-1.1855784

 

[mariomike]

Shootings at the Washington Navy Yard 
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/112150/post-1257725/topicseen.html#new

 

[cupper]

Heard the first reports on the local NPR broadcast on the way to work.

Latest word is that 13 people are dead.

The shooter is one of the dead. They cannot confirm if there was a second shooter involved, as there may be some confusion as to the identity of the person possibly being a responder on the scene. This was the case when they were reporting a possible third shooter, who was subsequently cleared when video was reviewed and it was confirmed that the person was a member of the military who was standing next to a victim when that victim was shot and killed.

The area is still under lockdown, buildings are stilled being cleared individually, and employees are being released and bussed off site as each building is cleared.

Dead gunman is Arron Alexis, a civilian contractor in aircraft electronics, and also a current or former military reservist. He had a previous run in with police when they responded to a shooting. The suspect apparently shot a round through the ceiling of his apartment while cleaning the weapon. No charges were laid.

In short, the situation is still confused, all local and national news broadcasts are focused on this.

They've postponed the Nationals - Braves game to tomorrow evening, Nationals Park is being used as a staging area for people coming out of the Navy Yard Complex.

 

[cupper]

Congress on the other hand could not agree on how to deal with the security situation.  :facepalm:

Capitol Goes in Different Security Directions in Wake of Shooting

http://www.rollcall.com/news/capitol_goes_in_different_security_directions_in_wake_of_shooting-227633-1.html?pos=hftxt

Monday’s deadly shooting at Washington’s Navy Yard led to uneven security measures across the Capitol complex as armored vehicles rolled around the East Front of the Capitol and Capitol Police officers donned enhanced tactical gear. But the two chambers went in different directions regarding protocol for staff and members, and the Capitol Visitor Center continued to give tours up until closing time at 4:30 p.m.

The Senate recessed shortly after convening at 2 p.m. Monday, and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance Gainer gave Senate employees a shelter-in-place order about an hour later.

The House, meanwhile, convened for a brief pro forma session at 2 p.m. and recessed, but it did not give any order to shelter in place or lock down the chamber.

Shortly before the House pro forma session, at 1:30 p.m., House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving sent an email to House staff.

“The facts available from the shootings at the Navy Yard continue to evolve,” he wrote. “Information about additional shooters is yet unclear, and not confirmed. We are evaluating available intelligence and evidence. There is no information indicating the Capitol Complex, staff, visitors or Members are at risk. The USCP has implemented substantial additional security measures. We will keep you apprised of information,” Irving’s notice stated.

Gainer’s notice, which went out at 3:12 p.m. stated: “In light of the uncertainty surrounding the shooting at the Navy Yard this morning and particularly the possibility of suspects remaining at large, we have decided to lock down the Senate complex. You may move about the building; however, for the next two hours you may not leave nor can anyone enter the building. This will be in effect until we deem the situation safe in the neighboring community.”

The result, at least for a few hours, was that no one could leave the Senate chamber, unless, of course, they walked across the Rotunda to the House. A group of six Capitol Police officers stood on the Senate side of the Rotunda during the lockdown, warning anyone who approached that if they crossed out of the Senate side of the Capitol, they would not be allowed to return.

The Capitol Visitor Center was never locked down. “We did not shut down during the lockdown, and we were still receiving visitors right up to our 4:30 p.m. closing time. The lockdown had no impact on our tours,” Tom Fontana, director of communications for the CVC, told CQ Roll Call.

“It’s been business as usual up here. Other than the increased Capitol Police presence and security being pretty tight, nothing has changed,” Senate Periodical Press Gallery Director Ed Pesce said shortly before the lockdown order was issued

 

[tomahawk6]

UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 16: An armored police vehicle sits on the East Plaza of the Capitol as U.S. Capitol Police conduct enhanced security operations around the Capitol Complex as a proactive measure related to the Navy Yard shooting incident in Washington on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013.

 

[cupper]

Latest release of info by the FBI on Alexis and possible driving force behind the shootings. It's a shame that this man's mental issues were missed / unrecognized / untreated.

Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis driven by delusions

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/fbi-police-detail-shooting-navy-yard-shooting/2013/09/25/ee321abe-2600-11e3-b3e9-d97fb087acd6_story.html

The government contractor who killed 12 people at the Navy Yard last week was driven by delusions that he was being controlled by low frequency radio waves, and he scratched the words “End the torment!” on the barrel of the shotgun used in the killings, the FBI said Wednesday, offering new, chilling details of the killings.

Valerie Parlave, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office, confirmed that Aaron Alexis, 34, had a performance issue at work that was addressed the Friday before the shooting. But she said there was no indication that Alexis targeted “anyone he worked for or worked with.”

A search of Alexis’s electronic devices, she said, indicates that he was “prepared to die during the attack and that he accepted death as the inevitable consequence of his actions.”

Documents released Wednesday and details provided by authorities began to fill in some gaps in the timeline of the Sept. 16 rampage, which ended when police fatally shot Alexis in a third-floor cubicle.

The clues about Alexis’s mental state and motivations come from inscriptions found on his Remington 870 shotgun and documents found on his electronic devices.

In one document, he wrote: “An ultra low frequency attack is what I’ve been subject to for the last three months, and to be perfectly honest, that is what has driven me to this.”

Investigators are continuing to try to understand Alexis’s “pathway to violence,” Parlave told reporters. The etchings on his gun included “Not what y’all say!” and “Better off this way!”

Another scratched message, “My ELF weapon!” and other evidence gathered from Alexis’s electronics indicate that the former reservist thought he was being controlled by extremely low frequency electromagnetic waves, according to the FBI. The Navy has legitimately used such technology, the FBI said, but these radio waves also have been at the center of conspiracies about government mind control.

More at the link including security video of Alexis arriving at building, and stalking hallways.