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| Pensacola Shooting Updates: Gunman Was a Saudi Military Trainee | Pensacola Shooting Updates: Gunman Was a Saudi Military Trainee |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Three people were shot dead early Friday at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., and the gunman was a trainee with the Saudi Air Force, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida said. | Three people were shot dead early Friday at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., and the gunman was a trainee with the Saudi Air Force, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida said. |
| A United States military official identified the suspect as Second Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani. Sheriff David Morgan of Escambia County said the gunman was killed by a sheriff’s deputy. | |
| “He was training in aviation,” said Capt. Timothy F. Kinsella Jr., the base’s commanding officer, who declined to comment on whether the shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism. | “He was training in aviation,” said Capt. Timothy F. Kinsella Jr., the base’s commanding officer, who declined to comment on whether the shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism. |
| But Representative Matt Gaetz, whose congressional district includes Pensacola, said he was convinced the shooting, in which eight people were also wounded, was a terrorist act and blamed a lapse in federal vetting of foreign trainees. | But Representative Matt Gaetz, whose congressional district includes Pensacola, said he was convinced the shooting, in which eight people were also wounded, was a terrorist act and blamed a lapse in federal vetting of foreign trainees. |
| “We can safely call this an act of terrorism, not an act of workplace violence,” he told WEAR television. | “We can safely call this an act of terrorism, not an act of workplace violence,” he told WEAR television. |
| The Pensacola base has long hosted international students for flight training. A couple hundred foreign students are enrolled in the program, Captain Kinsella said. | The Pensacola base has long hosted international students for flight training. A couple hundred foreign students are enrolled in the program, Captain Kinsella said. |
| Saud A. Kabli, a spokesman for the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Washington, said he was aware of the reports but did not have an immediate comment. | Saud A. Kabli, a spokesman for the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Washington, said he was aware of the reports but did not have an immediate comment. |
| Sheriff Morgan said the gunman used a handgun. Unauthorized weapons are not allowed on the base, Captain Kinsella said. | |
| King Salman of Saudi Arabia called President Trump to give his condolences and share that Saudis are infuriated by the shooting, Mr. Trump said. | |
| “The King said that the Saudi people are greatly angered by the barbaric actions of the shooter,” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter, adding that King Salman also said the gunman does not represent the feelings of Saudis. | |
| Vice President Mike Pence said in a message on Twitter that he was “saddened” to hear about the “horrible” shooting. | |
| Governor DeSantis, a Republican, traveled to Pensacola on Friday afternoon. He suggested the government of Saudi Arabia might need to compensate the families of the shooting victims. | |
| “The government of Saudi Arabia needs to make things better for these victims, and I think they’re going to owe a debt here, given that this is one of their individuals,” he said. | |
| Mr. Gaetz, the Republican congressman, said the naval air base “is a huge source of pride for all of Northwest Florida.” | |
| “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. | |
| Among the eight injured were two deputies who were shot, one in the arm and one in the knee, but are expected to recover, Sheriff Morgan said. The base employs more than 16,000 military personnel and 7,400 civilians. | |
| 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. The shooting took place on two floors of a classroom building. | |
| “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. |
| Jeff Bergosh, an Escambia County commissioner, works at the base as a facilities management contractor. Shortly before 7 a.m., he pulled up to the main road that leads to the gate and noticed dozens of cars, an unusual number, waiting in front of him. | Jeff Bergosh, an Escambia County commissioner, works at the base as a facilities management contractor. Shortly before 7 a.m., he pulled up to the main road that leads to the gate and noticed dozens of cars, an unusual number, waiting in front of him. |
| Then dozens of police and emergency vehicles came roaring past, he said, with their “loud sirens and screaming motors,” converging on the base from the roads around him. Alarms were going off inside the base, too, he said. | Then dozens of police and emergency vehicles came roaring past, he said, with their “loud sirens and screaming motors,” converging on the base from the roads around him. Alarms were going off inside the base, too, he said. |
| Mr. Bergosh quickly contacted his nine employees to make sure they were safe. Three of them were already inside, taking cover in a building because of the lockdown. He spoke to them. | Mr. Bergosh quickly contacted his nine employees to make sure they were safe. Three of them were already inside, taking cover in a building because of the lockdown. He spoke to them. |
| “They said they were good,” Mr. Bergosh said. And then they confirmed what he had feared: “It was not a drill.” | “They said they were good,” Mr. Bergosh said. And then they confirmed what he had feared: “It was not a drill.” |
| More than an hour later, Mr. Bergosh entered the base with other county officials, and they made their way to the scene of the shooting. He saw blood and spent casings. Emergency medical workers had been treating the wounded. A helicopter was on hand for evacuations. | More than an hour later, Mr. Bergosh entered the base with other county officials, and they made their way to the scene of the shooting. He saw blood and spent casings. Emergency medical workers had been treating the wounded. A helicopter was on hand for evacuations. |
| “There were hundreds of personnel,” Mr. Bergosh said. “It was an active crime scene.” | “There were hundreds of personnel,” Mr. Bergosh said. “It was an active crime scene.” |
| Two mothers who live on the base waited anxiously to return on Friday morning. | 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, 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. |
| 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. |
| Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Adam Goldman, Derrick Bryson Taylor, John Ismay, Lara Jakes, Eric Schmitt and Kalyn Wolfe contributed reporting. |