Last updated (22:21) At least 12 people are dead and others were wounded after a shooter opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, police said, spreading...
fear and chaos across the region as authorities tried to contain the incident.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier announced the mounting death toll in a 2 p.m. news conference. The suspected shooter is among the dozen dead.
But hours after the rampage began, it was still unclear whether the shooting was the act of a lone gunman, or if other shooters were involved. Lanier initially said authorities were looking for two other potential shooters dressed in military style clothing. But shortly after she announced a detailed description of two suspects, city officials said one had been located and cleared.
[For up to the minute information about the shooting, check The Post’s live blog.]
Mayor Vincent C. Gray said no motive is known. He said they have no reason to believe it was an act of terrorism, though he said he could not rule it out.
Lanier described the other possible suspect, who has not been located, as a black man in his 40s with gray sideburns, wearing an olive-drab military-style uniform.
Police are asking anyone with information on the suspect to call 202-727-9099.
Two law enforcement officials said the shooter is among the 12 dead. The dead shooter had an assault rifle and a handgun, two law enforcement officials said. One said he also had a shotgun.
The officials said police have been working under the theory that there may be additional shooters because of witness accounts and surveillance video among other information. One of those officials also said all the weapons were not accounted for.
At least two police officers were among those shot. Police on the scene said one is a D.C. Metropolitan Police officer who was shot twice in the leg and was evacuated to a hospital. Lanier said he was in stable condition after engaging the shooter with gunfire. The other was a base officer. The D.C. officer, a male, was conscious at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and his chances for survival were good, hospital officials said.
Janis Orlowski, the chief medical officer at Washington Hospital Center, said three victims in all were brought to the center, all in critical condition but alert, responsive and able to talk with doctors. The victims were also able to speak briefly to law enforcement officers before undergoing surgery or treatment, she said.
The other two victims at the hospital were female civilians, Orlowski said at a press conference. All are likely to survive.
Ten public and charter schools and a public school administration building in the District were placed on lockdown as a precaution, and flights out of Reagan National Airport were briefly halted, causing delays even after they began departing again.
Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, the chief of Naval Operations, was evacuated from his residence at the Navy Yard complex shortly after the first report of shots fired, Navy officials said.
Greenert, a four-star admiral and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was safely evacuated to the Pentagon along with his wife, Darleen, said Cmdr. Ryan Perry, a Navy spokesman.
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At least six people have been killed and several injured following a shooting at a Navy yard in Washington, with one gunman killed and two other potential suspects at large...
Two US Navy officials said at least six people have died in a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, and the Washington police chief says two additional suspects wearing military-style uniforms are at large.
"We have one shooter that we believe involved in this that is deceased," Washington police chief Cathy Lanier told reporters at the Naval Yard in central Washington.
"We also have other casualties. I will not give a confirmed number at this time but I would say we have multiple victims inside that are deceased. We will give updates once we have those numbers confirmed.
Chief Lanier said that at least one police office had been wounded, and warned that the reports she had were preliminary and might change.
President Barack Obama said: "We still don’t know all the facts. But we do know that several people have been shot, and some have been killed. So 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, going 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.
So we offer our gratitude to the Navy and local law enforcement, federal authorities and the doctors who’ve responded with skill and bravery. 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 moves 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’ve been touched by this tragedy. We thank them for their service. We stand with the families of those who’ve been harmed. They’re gonna need our love and support."
Three victims are in critical condition but were alert and able to respond to doctors, a hospital official said.
Washington Hospital Center Chief Medical Officer Janis Orlowski said the facility is treating three gunshot victims. More victims were expected but it was unclear how many, she added.
The Navy originally said shots were fired around 8:20am local time at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters, where about 3,000 people work.
The number of the victims and their conditions was not immediately known, though the Navy said multiple people had been injured.
Police and federal agents from multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene. Ambulances were parked outside, streets in the area were closed and flights at Reagan National Airport were temporarily halted.
A Washington DC police officer was among those shot, according to the Washington Post.
Armed police at the scene. (Courtesy @thekarami/Twitter)
About 3,000 people work at the headquarters, which is responsible for building and buying US warships and combat systems, the navy said.
The complex also has a residence which serves as the home of the chief of the US Navy.
A White House official said: "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 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."
A person is assisted at the scene of the shooting. Courtesy @timjhogan/Twitter
Departures were also halted at Washington's Reagan National airport due to the shooting.
Chris Paolino, a spokesman for Reagan National Airport, said inbound aricraft are still landing and that the airport remains open to passengers.
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