What We Know So Far
- Heavily-armed law enforcement officials investigated reports of active shooter at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard Thursday morning.
- A Navy Yard employee placed an emergency call at 7:29 a.m. reporting to have heard gun shots.
- D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed that upon searching the building, law enforcement did not turn up any signs of a shooting, shooter or any victims.
- The Washington Navy Yard was placed on lockdown during the investigation. That lockdown was lifted shortly after 12 p.m.
- Twelve people were fatally shot by gunman Aaron Alexis at the Washington Navy Yard in 2013.
Updates
Lockdown has been lifted at Washington Navy Yard and the U.S. Navy has confirmed the "all clear."
Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser said that there is no evidence of gunshots, a shooter or any victims at the Washington Navy Yard. A Navy Yard employee was the person who placed the call to report that she may have heard gun shots in the area, Bowser said at a press conference.
Vice Admiral Dixon Smith added that the navy yard remains on lockdown while officials finish a final walkthrough of the facility. If that walkthrough goes alright, then the Navy Yard will be reopened.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said that that "every inch" of the building has been searched and is being searched a second time. She also said there was never any concern that the emergency call was a hoax; the employee heard what she thought was gun shots and reported it.
The U.S. Capitol Police said the situation at the Navy Yard has been "cleared," a spokesperson confirmed to BuzzFeed News.
The U.S. Navy confirmed, "there are no signs of a shooting, a shooter or victims."
The U.S. Navy said the scene remains active and there is an ongoing investigation.
Statement:
At 7:29 a.m. a call was placed from a building inside the Washington Navy Yard reporting possible gun shots. Navy Yard officials called partner law enforcement agencies for assistance.NCIS agents and other law enforcement have completed their inspection of the Humphreys Building (Bldg. 197). All personnel are safe and accounted for.
There are no signs of a shooting, a shooter, or victims.
The investigation is ongoing and the scene remains active.
U.S. Navy has now confirmed that all personnel are alright and that there is no sign of a shooting.
U.S. Capitol Police have issued an "all clear" at the Washington Navy Yard.
The D.C. Police issued a statement saying that a call was placed at 7:29 a.m. reporting "possible sounds of gun shots." A search of the building turned up no evidence of a shooting.
Surveillance video recorded two people jumping a fence near the building minutes before reported gunfire, a federal official told AP.
Lt. Megan Shutka, a U.S. Navy Chief of Information official , told BuzzFeed News, "No incident can be confirmed as of yet."
"The Navy Yard in Washington D.C. is currently on lockdown with orders to shelter in place," she added.
Lockdown continues but so far no shooter has been found.
U.S. Capitol Police public information officer Lieutenant Kimberly Schneider said there is no known threat to the Capitol Complex.
U.S. Capitol Police are continuing to monitor the Active Shooter situation at the Washington Navy Yard. Please avoid the Washington Navy Yard area.There is no known threat to the Capitol Complex.
As a proactive measure related to the Washington Navy Yard incident, enhanced security measures may be visible & observed as the USCP continues to concentrate our assets on the Capitol Grounds. We have additional units in the field deployed strategically around the Capitol Complex, as the situation dictates, while remaining available to continue to provide mutual support at the Navy Yard.
All USCP units on Capitol Grounds are continuously being kept abreast of the Washington Navy Yard incident and are being extremely diligent in light of the current situation.
A 911 caller stated there was a shooting on the second floor of building 197, the same building where the 2013 shooting took place, a law enforcement source told CNN.
Police responded to the Navy Yard around 7:45 a.m. and the building was put on lockdown.
There has been no confirmed shooting at this time and no shooter has been found, a Navy Yard spokesman said.
Here's the scene outside of the Navy Yard Thursday morning.
This is the same facility where military contractor Aaron Alexis killed 12 people in September 2013. He was then fatally shot by police. For more on that story, click here.
Streets surrounding the Naval campus in Washington have been closed, the DC Police Department tweeted a map of the closures.
Shots reported at Washington Navy Yard, an official told the AP. A lockdown is in place at the Washington campus, according to Navy spokesman Petty Officer 1st Class Pedro Rodriguez.
Thumbnail image by Gerritt Lang