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| Pensacola Shooting Updates: 3 Killed at Naval Air Station | Pensacola Shooting Updates: 3 Killed at Naval Air Station |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Three people were shot dead by a gunman who opened fire early on Friday at Naval Air Station Pensacola, the authorities said. | Three people were shot dead by a gunman who opened fire early on Friday at Naval Air Station Pensacola, the authorities said. |
| Sheriff David Morgan of Escambia County said one of his deputies killed the gunman at the base, which employs more than 16,000 military personnel and 7,400 civilians. Two deputies were shot, one in the arm and one in the knee, but are expected to recover, the sheriff said. | |
| Capt. Timothy F. Kinsella Jr., the base’s commanding officer, declined to identify the gunman or say whether he was a serviceman. The shooting took place in a classroom building on the base, where training is routinely conducted, he said. Captain Kinsella declined to “speculate” on whether the shooting was being investigated as an act of terrorism. | Capt. Timothy F. Kinsella Jr., the base’s commanding officer, declined to identify the gunman or say whether he was a serviceman. The shooting took place in a classroom building on the base, where training is routinely conducted, he said. Captain Kinsella declined to “speculate” on whether the shooting was being investigated as an act of terrorism. |
| Kathy Bowers, a spokeswoman for Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, said that the hospital had received eight patients. One of the victims transported to Baptist later died, according to Chief Deputy Chip Simmons of Escambia County. Two other victims died on the base, he said. | Kathy Bowers, a spokeswoman for Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, said that the hospital had received eight patients. One of the victims transported to Baptist later died, according to Chief Deputy Chip Simmons of Escambia County. Two other victims died on the base, he said. |
| The identities of the victims have not been released. | The identities of the victims have not been released. |
| “They’re part of the Navy family,” Captain Kinsella said. “They’re part of us, and our heart goes out to those of you who may be affected by this tragedy.” | “They’re part of the Navy family,” Captain Kinsella said. “They’re part of us, and our heart goes out to those of you who may be affected by this tragedy.” |
| Officials began receiving calls about the shooting about 6:50 a.m., and the base was put on lockdown. | Officials began receiving calls about the shooting about 6:50 a.m., and the base was put on lockdown. |
| “Walking through the crime scene was like being on the set of a movie,” Sheriff Morgan said. | “Walking through the crime scene was like being on the set of a movie,” Sheriff Morgan said. |
| He added that the authorities were not looking for any additional gunmen. | He added that the authorities were not looking for any additional gunmen. |
| Two mothers who live on the base waited anxiously to return on Friday morning. | |
| Rita, who declined to give her full name, sat in a cherry-red van with her three oldest daughters, whom she had taken off the school bus after the shooting started. Rita said she had heard four shots from her house, but assumed it was training — not an active shooter — until her husband, who works on the base as a substance abuse counselor, had called to ask if she and their daughters were safe. | |
| Rita said she wasn’t able to get back on the base after she picked up her older daughters. She has three younger daughters who remained on the base with their grandmother. | |
| Around 11 a.m., Rita was sitting in her van on the side of the road, parked in front of a bridge that leads to the base. It was blocked off by several police vehicles. | |
| Near her, another mother also waited outside the base with two of her children. Lucy, who also declined to give her last name, said she had called her husband repeatedly after learning of the shooting, but he did not pick up until about the fifth try. | |
| He told her to tell their children that he loved them, she said, and a mix of emotions — anger, sadness, fear — flooded over her. Her family was safe, but she was frustrated to be kept off the base, away from her two other children and her husband. She said her husband had been preparing for a pinning ceremony scheduled for members of the Navy on Saturday. | |
| President Trump has been briefed about the shooting and was monitoring the situation, the White House said. Vice President Mike Pence said in a message on Twitter that he was “saddened” to hear about the “horrible” shooting. | President Trump has been briefed about the shooting and was monitoring the situation, the White House said. Vice President Mike Pence said in a message on Twitter that he was “saddened” to hear about the “horrible” shooting. |
| Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida said Friday morning that he was receiving updates about the shooting at the base and was offering full support to law enforcement. | Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida said Friday morning that he was receiving updates about the shooting at the base and was offering full support to law enforcement. |
| The base “is a huge source of pride for all of Northwest Florida,” said Representative Matt Gaetz, whose congressional district includes Pensacola. | The base “is a huge source of pride for all of Northwest Florida,” said Representative Matt Gaetz, whose congressional district includes Pensacola. |
| “I know there are places all over the country where, at times, there is tension between a military mission and a community, but in our home, this is who we are,” he said. “This is what we love, and it’s why our hearts break today.” | “I know there are places all over the country where, at times, there is tension between a military mission and a community, but in our home, this is who we are,” he said. “This is what we love, and it’s why our hearts break today.” |
| The base at Pensacola, on Florida’s Panhandle, dates to the 1820s and is considered by the service to be the home of naval aviation. Since World War I, most Navy and Marine Corps aviators and flight officers have begun their flight training there, and it is where the Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration team is based. | The base at Pensacola, on Florida’s Panhandle, dates to the 1820s and is considered by the service to be the home of naval aviation. Since World War I, most Navy and Marine Corps aviators and flight officers have begun their flight training there, and it is where the Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration team is based. |
| Doug Underhill, a county commissioner for the district where the base is, said grief counselors would be arriving for those who need their services. | Doug Underhill, a county commissioner for the district where the base is, said grief counselors would be arriving for those who need their services. |
| The first, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Oahu on Wednesday, came as that installation was preparing for the 78th anniversary on Dec. 7 of the Japanese attack that marked the United States’ entry into World War II. | The first, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Oahu on Wednesday, came as that installation was preparing for the 78th anniversary on Dec. 7 of the Japanese attack that marked the United States’ entry into World War II. |
| A United States sailor opened fire at a dry dock at the base, the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, fatally shooting two shipyard workers and injuring another before killing himself, the authorities said. | A United States sailor opened fire at a dry dock at the base, the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, fatally shooting two shipyard workers and injuring another before killing himself, the authorities said. |
| The motive for the shooting is not yet known. It was also not clear whether the active-duty sailor targeted the three shipyard workers — Department of Defense civilians — or fired indiscriminately. | The motive for the shooting is not yet known. It was also not clear whether the active-duty sailor targeted the three shipyard workers — Department of Defense civilians — or fired indiscriminately. |
| The sailor was assigned to the U.S.S. Columbia, a submarine docked at the shipyard for maintenance, Rear Adm. Robert B. Chadwick II, commander for the Navy in Hawaii, said. | The sailor was assigned to the U.S.S. Columbia, a submarine docked at the shipyard for maintenance, Rear Adm. Robert B. Chadwick II, commander for the Navy in Hawaii, said. |
| Derrick Bryson Taylor, Kalyn Wolfe, John Ismay and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting. | Derrick Bryson Taylor, Kalyn Wolfe, John Ismay and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting. |