12 dead in Navy Yard shooting; 1 suspect dead, 1 sought

WASHINGTON — At least 12 people died Monday during a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, officials said. One gunman died in the shooting, and police are seeking another possible shooter.
The Navy Yard was placed on lockdown after shots were fired inside a building on the base, the U.S. Navy said. A Metro police officer and naval base officer were among those injured in the shooting, according to the D.C. Metro Police.
The gunman was identified by the Associated Press and other news organizations as Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old civilian contractor for the Navy.
Washington Mayor Vincent Gray said the gunman was shot during an exchange with the Metro Police officer.
"As far as we know, it's an isolated incident," Gray said. "We have no known motive at this stage."
[Full coverage: Washington Navy Yard shooting]
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said authorities were seeking a potential second suspect, described as a black male, approximately 40 to 50 years old, 5 foot 10, 180 pounds, medium complexion with gray sideburns, wearing an olive military-style uniform and carrying "a long gun."
Before a scheduled economic speech at the White House, President Barack Obama deplored "yet another mass shooting" — this one targeting military and civilian personnel.
“These are men and women who were going to work, doing their job, protecting all of us," Obama said. "They’re patriots, and they know the dangers of serving abroad. But today they faced the unimaginable: violence that they wouldn’t have expected here at home."
"We will do everything in our power to make sure that whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible," the president added. "I want the investigation to be seamless."
Janis Orlowski, chief medical officer at Washington Hospital Center, said one Metropolitan Police officer and two civilians are being treated there. All three are in critical condition, Orlowski said, but are alert, speaking and have a good chance of survival.
One was shot in the legs, another in the shoulder and another in the head and hand.
Orlowski said Washington Hospital Center is prepared to handle eight to 10 more victims, but did not know how many victims would be transported to the hospital. She said she had been told to expect more.
The Navy said shots were fired at the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters building on the base at 8:20 a.m., and a "shelter in place" order was issued for Navy Yard personnel.
Rick Mason, a program management specialist, told Yahoo News he was on the fourth floor when he saw someone with a shotgun aiming down into the atrium. The gunman, Mason said, was targeting people who walked into the cafeteria.
Other employees described a chaotic scene.
"We heard two shots and started wondering if that was the sound of someone dropping something or if they were really shots," Omar Grant, a civilian employee at the Navy Yard who was on the first floor of the atrium, said. "We heard three more shots, and that's when people started running out of the building and getting the hell out of there."
Grant then led a blind colleague to safety.
Approximately 3,000 people work in the building, the Navy said, though it's unclear how many people were inside at the time of the shooting.
The U.S. Senate complex was locked down "in light of the uncertainty surrounding the shooting at the Navy Yard this morning and particularly the possibility of suspects remaining at large," the Senate said in an alert to staffers. "You may move about the building; however, for the next two hours you may not leave nor can anyone enter the building."
A White House official said the president had been briefed several times throughout the morning about the unfolding situation at the Navy Yard by assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism Lisa Monaco and deputy chief of staff Alyssa Mastromanaco.
A heavy SWAT and police presence could be seen around the Navy Yard. Outside the base, employees sat huddled, crying and holding each other. At least one of the victims was airlifted from the scene, as helicopters circled overhead.
A temporary ground stop was ordered at Reagan National Airport, and schools in the area were placed on temporary lockdown.
The 41-acre Navy Yard, located five blocks from Nationals Stadium and a mile and a half from the Capitol, is home to the chief of naval operations and headquarters for the Naval Historical Center and numerous naval commands.
The Washington Nationals postponed Monday's home game against the Atlanta Braves in the wake of the tragedy.
According to the Navy's website, Naval Sea Systems "engineers, builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and their combat systems." Approximately 60,000 people work there.
2002 GMT: Dr. Janis Orlowski, the chief medical officer at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, gives another briefing on the status of the three patients brought to her facility. She begins by saying they are all expected to survive their injuries. One, a police officer, was shot in the legs and has been in surgery for several hours. She says it will be 24 hours before doctors will be able to assess whether he will be able to walk.
Another woman was shot in the shoulder and is currently in surgery. She is described as in "very good spirits." Orlowski says, laughing, that the patient began ordering doctors around as soon as she arrived and had to be reminded the doctors "are in charge here." Orlowski says the last patient at her hospital is a "very, very lucky young woman" who was shot in the hand and head, but will not require surgery since the bullets did not penetrate her skull.
1947 GMT: US Navy Captain Mark Vandross says he has just been released from the building, after hiding in a conference room for more than an hour and then being debriefed by authorities.
"We were on the ground," he says. "I was very pleased with my folks. I would lying to you if I said we weren't scared. But I was very pleased with my folks in that we did not panic."
1921 GMT: Neighborhood schools dismiss on schedule. Visibly upset, some crying, parents rush their children from the buildings and onto the Metro.
1919 GMT: Tonight's Major League baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves is cancelled. The teams will play two games on Tuesday instead. The team issues the following statement:
"All of us here in the Nationals organization were deeply saddened to learn of the tragic events that occurred this morning only a few blocks from Nationals Park. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.
In light of the circumstances, we have decided to postpone tonight’s game against the Atlanta Braves. Additional information will be distributed in the coming hours.
The safety of our fans is our utmost priority. As we have throughout the day, the Nationals security personnel will continue to work closely with all levels of law enforcement to reinforce the already high level of security in place at Nationals Park."
1910 GMT: Survivor Terry Durham tells WJLA she a rifle before she saw a gunman's face.
"He was far enough down the hall, that we couldn't see his face," Durham says. "But we could see him with the rifle, and he raised and aimed at us and he fired." She says she and her colleagues ran down the hall when they were confronted by another man with a "long gun" who shot over their heads.
1845 GMT: The Washington police department announces, via Twitter, that the white man in a tan outfit they were seeking has been identified and is not a suspect or person of interest.
1840 GMT: Schools in the neighborhood remain locked. A mother of a student at Tyler Elementary School, says students have not been told what is happening outside the schoolhouse doors. They are due to be dismissed at 3:15 (1915 GMT) but will be kept inside if necessary.
1828 GMT: Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid, adjourns the US Senate session for the day.
"I've spoken with the Sergeant at Arms, and in light of the events at the Navy Yard, we will recess the Senate until tomorrow morning," he wrote in an official tweet.
1816 GMT: The chief gives a very specific description of the two men officials are seeking. One is white, between the ages of 40 and 50 wearing tan clothing "consistent with a Naval uniform" and a beret. The second is black, also aged between 40 and 50. He was wearing an olive "military-style uniform." He is approximately 5 foot, 10 inches tall and 180 pounds. He has a medium complexion and graying sideburns.
She repeats that officials have no indication of motive at this time.
1811 GMT: Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier says officials are still looking for two men, seen in military-style clothes, as potential additional shooters.
"We have reason to believe these people may be involved and we need to talk to them," she says.
She refuses to get into details about what led them to look for the two men, whether it was eye-witnesses or video evidence. She promises another update at 2000 GMT.
1806 GMT: The mayor says there is no known motive and added they were investigating whether or not the shooting rampage was an act of terrorism.
1804 GMT: Mayor Vincent Gray announces that "at least 12" people were killed in this shooting at the Washington Navy Yard.
1755 GMT: Officials announce they plan a press conference at 1800 GMT from the scene of the shootings.
1735 GMT: David Reyes, who is in the US Air Force, tells AFP that his wife is locked in the building. He says she texted him this morning to tell him that they were on lockdown. "Her building is clear and secure I am just waiting here in the street, worried. It is sad that sort of things happen to innocent people. It is totally surreal. You don't believe it is true until you come down here"
1727 GMT: Commander Tim Jirus tells reporters that he was evacuating the building when he saw a maintenance worker shot.
"I'm pretty sure he was dead because he got shot in the head."
Asked if he felt like it was a secure building, he said, "Not today!"
1719 GMT: A witness described panic inside the building after the shooting started. One man told local television station WJLA that the fire alarm went off in the building before they saw a man with a rifle in the hallway.
"He aimed the gun and fired our way," Todd Brundidge said.
"Everyone was going down the stairs. They were pushing. They were shoving. People were falling down," he said.
1709 GMT: Schools in the area are still on lockdown. Parents from one, eight blocks from the Navy Yard, were told their children were being held inside with the doors and windows locked.
"If we do not feel the situation has been cleared by dismissal time, we will have to make alternate plans for dismissal," the memo said.
1704 GMT: Helicopters can be seen circling above the base as officials continue to search for the two "potential shooters." Officials promise to brief the public again in about an hour.
1647 GMT: The Navy Yard is only 1.3 miles from Capitol Hill and 2.6 miles from the White House. It is right next to the Washington Nationals major league baseball stadium. Security is extremely tight at the facility with a military ID generally required to enter.
1632 GMT: Obama confirms only that several people have been shot and some are dead.
"So we are confronting yet another mass shooting. And today, it happened on a military installation in our nation's capital. It's a shooting that targeted our military and civilian personnel. These are men and women who were going to work, doing their job protecting all of us. They're patriots. And they know the dangers of serving abroad, but today they faced the unimaginable violence that they won't have expected here at home.
1630 GMT: President Barack Obama is being introduced to give a speech about the US economy. He was due to speak about a hour earlier, but delayed the speech due to the shooting.
1623 GMT: A surgeon at George Washington University Hospital tells reporters that one patient was pronounced dead "within a minute" of being brought to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the temple.
1617 GMT: A reporter shouted a question as to whether officials believe the shooting is an act of terrorism, but the mayor and officials end their press conference without answering questions.
1615 GMT: Lanier says police are looking for "potentially two other shooters." She says they were not believed to be military personnel, but were seen wearing "military-type clothing." She said they were both men, one Caucasian and one African-American.
1614 GMT: Washington police chief Cathy Lanier, confirms that one shooter was killed and one police officer shot.
1610 GMT: Washington Mayor Vincent Gray approaches the microphones. He confirms that there was at least one shooter and asks residents to stay away from the area. He says he believes the shooting is an "isolated incident."
1607 GMT: Washington police have scheduled a briefing for 1615 GMT to update reporters on the shooting.

Reports in US media are conflicting at this time, but officials have told AFP that at least one unidentified gunman opened fire at the US Navy Yard in Washington early Monday and was at large after killing "multiple" victims and wounding several more, officials said.
"We believe there were multiple deaths," a US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP. The precise death toll remains unclear.
About 3,000 people work at the facility, which is responsible for building and buying US warships and combat systems.

The gunman who killed 12 people at a Navy base in Washington entered with a valid pass and a legally purchased shotgun, the FBI said Tuesday.

Once inside, Aaron Alexis, 34, may have obtained a handgun after he began shooting, said Valerie Parlave, assistant director of the FBI's Washington field office.
He brought the shotgun legally in neighboring Virginia, and there is no evidence he had an assault rifle as some reports have said, Parlave added.

Alexis, who was shot and killed after his rampage Monday, was working on a Navy contract through computer giant Hewlett-Packard.

"Mr. Alexis had legitimate access to the Navy Yard as a result of his work as a contractor, and he utilized a valid pass to gain entry to the building," Parlave told a news conference.
His motive remains a mystery, she said.
"We continue to conduct interviews, exploit digital media, and run down every lead we can to piece together his recent movements and determine the motive behind his attack," she said.

Alexis arrived in the Washington area on or about August 25th and stayed in hotels, she said.

The FBI has received hundreds of tips from the public, she added.

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