2 Dead After Shooting At AF Base In Texas
Two bodies were found inside a building at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas after an active shooter alert. The shooter is thought to be among the dead in this apparent murder-suicide.
The Bexar County Sheriff Deputies, as well as other law enforcement, continued to search the building. However, it is believed only two are dead. This is not believed to be a terrorist act, according to US Air Force.
Names have not yet been released. According to New York Times, the Bexar County Sheriff Department made a comment on Twitter at 10:42 a.m.
“We have two dead at Lackland Air Force Base, deputies are still inside the building,”
The Miami Herald did mention the FBI is assisting with the investigation. James Keith, spokesman for the Bexar County Sheriff Department did say it is believed to be a murder-suicide, but “we are not ready to confirm that.” The Bexar County Sheriff Department has recently updated their Twitter in regards to this incident.
We have passed our Lackland AFB investigation on to military and federal investigators. Our hearts go out to the loved ones who died.
— Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (@BexarCoSheriff) April 8, 2016
Another law enforcement official, who has chosen to stay anonymous made the comment that the shooting may have been the outcome of a dispute.
The Air Force Times reveals a squadron leader was shot by an airman, but this has yet to be confirmed.
It was stated that the shooting took place at the Medina Training Annex, which is used to train Military Police and Special Operations forces. This building was previously used to train Air Force Officers.
Our deputies are inside Lackland AFB clearing buildings now pic.twitter.com/BGwowOBXYF
— Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (@BexarCoSheriff) April 8, 2016
Further reports by CBC News states that two handguns were located near the two men’s bodies.
According to CBC News, this was one of the few military base shootings that have occurred within the past several years. The most recent one prior to this was the incident in El Paso at Fort Bliss when an Army veteran killed a psychologist before turning the gun on himself.
A year before the El Paso incident, Army Spc. Ivan Lopez killed three soldiers and wounded 16 during an attack at Fort Hood in Texas. Lopez also killed himself.
The worst and deadliest military attack yet was also in Fort Hood, Texas, back in 2009 when a former Army Major shot and killed 13 people and wounded 16. The shooter was sentenced to death.
NBC Washington reports other historical U.S. military base shootings. In March 2014, a sailor, Petty Officer 2nd Class Mark Mayo, 24, was shot and killed while attempting to stop a gunman from boarding a ship in Norfolk, Virginia. Mayo allegedly jumped in front of another sailor and took a bullet to save her life after the gunman shot a fire. Navy Security Forces shot the gunman down and Mayo died a hero.
Back in September 2013, a government contractor working in Washington D.C. opened fire inside the Navy Yard Complex killing 12 people and injuring four. Officers shot and killed the gunman, who was found to be Aaron Alexis. Authorities say Alexis just recently began the assignment and shot people at random. Alexis “held a delusional belief that he was being controlled or influenced by extremely low frequency, or ELF, electromagnetic waves.”
In March 2013, a tactics instructor, Sgt. Eusebrio Lopez shot and killed two colleagues before killing himself at the Marine Corps Base Quantico’s Officer Candidates School.
The worst yet in history was the mass shooting that occurred in November 2009. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan randomly opened fire in Fort Hood, Texas at a medical deployment center, killing 13 unarmed soldiers and wounding 32. Hasan was sentenced to death.
[Photo by Eric Gay/AP Images]
