Local and federal authorities on Monday responded to reports of a shot fired at the Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, the Montgomery County Police Department confirmed to BuzzFeed News.
But nearly two hours later, police had found "no indication" that any shooting took place, a spokesperson for the Montgomery Police said at a press conference outside the hospital.
"Police operations are complete," the office said around 1 p.m.
The authorities were focusing on a 20-story building in the medical center. As of 1:00 p.m., they had searched all but 5 floors. Walter Reed employees were told continue to shelter in place until the search through the high-rise was complete.
"I'm hiding. Not a drill is the only thing we've heard," someone who claims to be inside the building told BuzzFeed News. "Only message received was to keep sheltering."
A spokesperson for Walter Reed did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
#BREAKING: #USNavy DOD, NIH and County security personnel responding to unconfirmed active shooter report at Walter Reed/Bethesda. (1/2)
(2/2) #BREAKING: Walter Reed/Bethesda personnel sheltering in place. Cannot confirm any incidents, injuries or causalities. MTF.
People who said they were present at the military hospital took to Twitter to post images of what they described as an "active shooter" situation:
#shelterinplace #activeshooter #stillhiding in the dark.
This is the scene outside the hospital:
Images shared by @fox5newsdc appear to show police presence outside Walter Reed Medical Center:
Workers standing outside of Walter Reed say they were informed of *possible shot fired. Waiting to hear more.