At least four people were killed on Monday morning when at least one gunman opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard. Eight others have been confirmed injured so far, including two Washington D.C. police officers.
Media reports on the situation have been conflicting so far regarding the number of shooters involved at the historical Navy Yard, which serves as an administrative center for the U.S. Navy. Some news reports have said one person was involved in the shooting while others are saying that at least two gunmen were involved. One suspect is dead and police are looking into other suspects. Regardless of the number, police don’t have any other suspects in custody at the time and have placed the Navy Yard and area schools on lockdown.
The Navy Yard is about two miles away from Capitol Hill. Security has been increased at the White House, but officials don’t believe there is any threat to President Obama or others at the Capitol. Obama has promised to find the people involved and bring them to justice:
Obama: "We will do everything in our power to make sure whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible." #NavyYardShooting
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 16, 2013
President Obama: "We send our thoughts and prayers to all at the Navy Yard who’ve been touched by this tragedy." #NavyYardShooting
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 16, 2013
Eyewitness Accounts
Some witnesses have given their accounts of the horrifying shooting, and one woman says she narrowly missed being shot. Terrie Durhams said she saw the gunman firing at her. “He aimed high and missed,” Durhams said. “He said nothing. As soon as I realized he was shooting, we just said, ‘Get out of the building.’” Todd Brundidge, an executive assistant with Navy Sea Systems Command, was with Durhams at the time and described the shooter as wearing blue. “He just turned and started firing,” Brundidge said.
“We heard two shots and started wondering if that was the sound of someone dropping [something] or if they were really shots,” Omar Grant, another employee at the Navy Yard, said. “We heard three more shots and that’s when people started running out of the building and getting the hell out of there.”
While the status of some of the shooting victims remains unknown, one area hospital has reported that three victims under her hospital’s care have a “very good” chance of survival. According to Janis Orlowski, chief medical officer of Medstar Washington Hospital Center, her shooting victims include two women and one man. The man is one of the police officers that was shot and he reportedly has multiple gunshot wounds.
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