'Active Shooter' at Military Base Just a False Alarm

Turns out to be a misunderstanding at Joint Base Andrews
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 30, 2016 1:53 PM CDT
'Active Shooter' at Military Base Just a False Alarm
People with arms raised people are lead out of the Malcolm Grow medical facility on Joint Base Andrews after reports of an active shooter Thursday.   (Linda Davidson)

The military base outside Washington where the presidential plane Air Force One is stationed was temporarily locked down Thursday after an "active shooter" report that turned out to be a false alarm, the AP reports. The report stemmed from someone who made a distress call after seeing security forces doing a routine inspection. The confusion was heightened by a planned active shooter drill at Joint Base Andrews that had not yet begun. Officials said in a Facebook post Thursday that there was no shooter and no threat to the base or workers there. The base had been placed on lockdown about 9am after an active shooter was reported.

About an hour and a half later, the military post tweeted that the lockdown had been lifted, except for the medical building where the active shooter was reported. A law enforcement official said no active shooter was found. The law enforcement official was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. "Fortunately, this was not a life-threatening situation," Col. Brad Hoagland, 11th Wing and base commander, said in the Facebook post. "We take all threats seriously and reacted to ensure the security of those on the base." Vice President Joe Biden was scheduled to leave from Andrews, which is about 20 miles from Washington DC, on Thursday morning, but his trip was delayed by the lockdown. (More Maryland stories.)

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