Monday morning, at 8:28am ET, news broke of a shooter(s) on an active rampage at the Washington Navy Yard. As many as four are dead and eight wounded. Latest updates at the top. All times Eastern.
Please tweet tips to @NolteNC, or email to jnolte@breitbart.com.
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12:15am – Alexis’s employer says he had “secret” clearance and a common access card. CEO Thomas Hoshko says Alexis worked for the company in Japan within the past year, and he was recently rehired after a fresh background check in July 2013.
11:34pm – CNN panelist says the level of security clearance Mr. Alexis achieved does not require a psychological screening when vetting applicants.
11:09pm – IMAGE: CNN adds a whole new level to their purported scoop on Alexis’s gun purchase:
11:07pm – Several news outlets making sure to mention Alexis was a fan of “violent” video games.
10:41pm – Some victims’ names have been released, as officials have informed seven families of their deaths. So far, victims have been civilians and contractors rather than military personnel.
10:26pm – Evening press conference brings slight clarification on a few points. DC police comfortable giving up lookout for second suspect. Victims aged 46-73. Eight injured, three suffered gunshot wounds. FBI rep says shooter had “legitimate access to the navy yard as a result of his work as a contractor.” Eleanor Holmes-Norton goes off on guns again.
10:10pm – CNN reporting on-air that Alexis purchased an AR-15 rifle from a gun shop in Virginia, according to an FBI source. However, NBC News previously reported that Alexis obtained an “assault rifle” from a gun safe at the base, based on information from law enforcement. The Washington Post says Alexis bought a shotgun in Lorton, VA–no mention of an AR-15.
8:50pm – Both Fox News and RT report law enforcement now rules out the possibility of a second shooter.
— RT America (@RT_America) September 16, 2013
" layout="responsive" width="600" height="480">8:04pm – CEO of The Experts claims Alexis was thoroughly vetted and likely had security clearance to enter Navy Yard:
[Alexis] appeared to have a government contractor access card that would have allowed him onto the Navy Yard and other military installations, according to the company’s CEO Thomas Hoshko…
Alexis had a security clearance that was updated in July, approved by military security service personnel.
“There had to be a thorough investigation,” Hoshko said. “There is nothing that came up in all the searches.”
7:48pm – Hewlett-Packard has released a statement giving insight into Alexis’s vocation and link to the U.S. Navy.
Hewlett-Packard Company spokesman confirmed that Alexis was an employee for a company called “The Experts”, a subcontractor to HP… The job of the company is to refresh equipment used on the Navy Marine Corps Intranet network.
6:30pm – Late Monday, the White House announced that the evening’s planned celebration of Latino music has been cancelled:
“In light of today’s tragic events at the Washington Navy Yard and out of respect for the victims and their families, Musica Latina will be postponed to a new date,” the White House press secretary’s office said in a statement.
This was the event where Michelle Obama promised that the president would “shake is groove thing.”
6:15pm – The Seattle Police Department published the details surrounding Aaron Alexis’ shooting out the tire of another man’s car in 2004:
At about 8 am that morning, two construction workers had parked their 1986 Honda Accord in the driveway of their worksite, next to a home where Alexis was staying in the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
The victims reported seeing a man, later identified by police as Alexis, walk out of the home next to their worksite, pull a gun from his waistband and fire three shots into the two rear tires of their Honda before he walked slowly back to his home north of the construction site. …
Following his arrest, Alexis told detectives he perceived he had been “mocked” by construction workers the morning of the incident and said they had “disrespected him.” Alexis also claimed he had an anger-fueled “blackout,” and could not remember firing his gun at the victims’ vehicle until an hour after the incident.
Alexis also told police he was present during “the tragic events of September 11, 2001″ and described “how those events had disturbed him.”
Detectives later spoke with Alexis’ father, who lived in New York at the time, who told police Alexis had anger management problems associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and that Alexis had been an active participant in rescue attempts on September 11th, 2001.
6:03pm – Slate’s Dave Weigel cherry picks a few no-name conservatives to attack all conservatives.
5:26pm – Shooter described as soft-spoken Buddhist who spoke Thai and recently traveled to Thailand.
WaPo:
Alexis spoke Thai, the language of many other temple worshippers, and also worked as a waiter at a Thai restaurant. At the Wat Busayadhammavanaram Meditation Center, Alexis came to meditate twice a week. But he still seemed so tightly wound that at least one worker there sought to avoid him.
“He would help people if they came in carrying heavy things,” said J. Sirun, an assistant to the monks at the center. “From the outside, he was a quiet person. But on the inside, I think he was very aggressive. He did not like to be close with anybody, like a soldier who has been at war.”
Alexis was memorable because he had so many Thai friends and spoke Thai “very well,” Sirun said. “He understood about 75 percent of the language.”
“He lived with me three years,” Suthamtewakul said Monday afternoon. “I don’t think he’d do this. He has a gun but I don’t think he’s that stupid. He didn’t seem aggressive to me.”
Alexis worked at times as a waiter at Happy Bowl, customers said. They described him as friendly.
Alexis had recently visited Thailand and had been to Japan with a computer defense contractor, where he worked in information technology, said Sandy Guerrea-Cline, a customer at Happy Bowl and copy editor at the Star-Telegram.
5:01pm – CNN’s Piers Morgan tweets attack on “America’s gun culture.”
4:44pm – The AP reports that Aaron Alexis was a full-time Navy reservist from May 2007 until January 2011. No one is yet sure if he was cleared to work at the Navy Yard.
4:39pm – Senate lifts some security restrictions:
Senate officials lifted some restrictions on their side of the U.S. Capitol complex Monday while authorities searched for a potential second suspect in the Navy Yard shootings.
Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer restricted people from leaving or entering Senate buildings for part of the day. By late afternoon, he said people would be allowed to leave the buildings but only senators and staff would be allowed to enter before Tuesday.
4:35pm – The Smoking Gun reports that Aaron Alexis was arrested in 2010 for discharging a firearm. Alexis claimed it was an accident that occurred when he was cleaning his firearm. No charges were filed.
4:31pm – Law enforcement officials confirmed that Alexis did not shoot himself; he died in a shoot out with police.
4:26pm – The FBI has officially identified the dead shooter as Aaron Alexis and and posted his photo. The FBI is looking for any information on the shooter; “No information is too small.”
4:20pm — DC Mayor Vice Gray updates death toll to 13, including shooter.
4:00pm – Good news: MedStar Washington Hospital Center says two of three victims are in surgery, but will recover. Third will not require surgery, and is also expected to fully recover. They do not expect any more patients from the scene.
3:58pm – Daily Beast has already run an op-ed by David Frum using today’s mass shooting as reason to argue in favor of restricting American’s Second Amendment rights.
3:54pm – CNN just “broke” the news identifying the shooter as Aaron Alexis, more than an hour after other outlets broke the news.
3:40pm – AP speculates that the the dead shooter is from Texas, has “a criminal record there and to be a holder of a concealed carry weapon permit.”
3:36pm – NBC 4 reports the dead shooter, Aaron Alexis, was arrested in 2010 for illegally discharging a firearm.
3:23pm – Breitbart editor-in-chief Joel Pollak writes: “I have spent some time at the Navy Yard, observing a military trial when I was in law school. The compound is large and well-guarded, and an important landmark in southeast Washington, DC. Navy personnel take security very seriously and consider each separate building to be a “ship”–i.e. stairwells are referred to as “ladders,” and so on. The Navy Yard has a long and storied history and it is terrible to know that it has now been marred by such a terrible event.”
3:10pm – NBC 4 says security video shows shooter entering building with a shotgun. Police believe he might have stolen a semi-automatic 9MM pistol from the first security guard he shot with the shotgun. He then might have shot another guard who would have responded carrying a AR-15 assault rifle, and then the shooter grabbed and used that. This is all speculative; what the media is reporting what the police are investigating.
3:10pm – DC Nationals cancel tonight’s game. Rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
3:07pm – Earlier this morning on CNN, anchor Carol Costello apparently forgot about the 2009 Fort Hood massacre. “This seems so unusual to me that a gunman could create this kind of havoc at a U.S. military facility,” Costello said. She then asked, “Have you ever heard of it happening before, Brian?”
2:41pm – The AP reports that one of two potential suspects– the white male — is no longer “person of interest,” not a suspect. Black male is still a suspect.
2:40pm – NBC 4 reports Aaron Alexis ID’s by fingerprints. Outlet re-emphasizes that Alexis was targeting specific people.
2:39pm – Per Pete Williams shooter is Aaron Alexis of Fort Worth Texas who just started working for the Navy as a civilian contractor. Still, he used the ID card of someone else who had recently been demoted, so badge was still working.
2:37pm – Police want people to call 1-800-CALL-FBI with tips on two suspects still at large. A black man, 40-50 years old in olive drab military uniform. Also a white man in tan khaki Navy uniform wearing a beret.
Police stress that suspects might not be in military; just dressed
2:28pm NBC 4 IDs shooter as 34 year-old Texas man who stole ID of man CBS and NBC misidentified as shooter.
2:28pm – BuzzFeed Politics attempts to make NRA part of the story.
2:23pm – NBC’s Pete Williams reports that the man who was misidentified as the shooter by NBC and CBS is now being interviewed by police to ascertain why his ID was found on the shooter.
2:21pm – Holmes-Norton says “all the loose guns in DC” mean that you don’t need a terrorist to commit an act like the Navy Yard shooting.
2:19pm – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) says we haven’t seen a day like this since 9-11. Reports that their will be a moment of silence in Congress for the victims.
2:14pm – DC police say FBI now taking charge of investigation. Next briefing will occur at 4pm ET.
2:13pm – DC police say they are still searching buildings looking for victims.
2:10pm – Police request people stay in their homes due to suspects still on the loose.
2:09pm – DC police again announce they are looking for two suspects: White male, tan military uniform, consistent with navy uniform. Black make between 40 and 50; gray sideburns, 140 pounds.
2:08pm: DC police and mayor confirm 12 fatalities. Numerous others injured. Headline of this post has been changed to reflect that.
1:44 – NBC’s Pete Williams says that Navy officials report that 7 have now died, as many as 15 wounded. This post’s headline has been updated to reflect the new death toll.
1:33pm — NBC claims bad reporting on identity of shooter came from an ID card that was dropped near the suspect.
1:15pm – Via Twitter I have seen both CBS and NBC (Chuck Todd) reporters incorrectly name Rollie Chance as the dead shooter. Todd has deleted his tweet.
1:03pm – CBS retracts report that suspected shooter is Rollie Chance as NBC News continues to release information about him.[update] the link to the NBC tweet is no good. Chuck Todd has deleted the tweet stating that NBC will not release the suspected shooter’s name.
12:25pm – News 4 questions timing of President Obama’s remarks, “The president wants to appear in command and coming out when events are still unfolding…”
12:20pm – Summation of reports: Single gunman. Multiple gunmen. Single gunmen. Now DC police chief says they are looking for two other suspects on top of dead shooter.
12:13pm – DC police chief says, “We have potentially two other shooters; one being a white male last seen around 8:45 am in khaki tan [military] uniform … short sleeves, wearing beret … seen with a handgun. Another shooter approximately 50 years of age in possession of a long gun … olive drab colored military uniform … Anyone with a tip should call 202-727-9099 … active, ongoing unified investigation. FBI, Naval Police, Department of Defense all involved.”
12:11pm – Mayor Gray says this is an “isolated incident,” no known shootings elsewhere. “A shooter” at Navy Yard.
12:06pm – AP reports “a shooter is dead – police seek possible 2nd shooter”
12:05pm – AP reports that “at least 6 dead.” Headline of this post has been changed to reflect that.
12:01pm — This is video from earlier today of an airlift:
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11:55am – Witness: “He raised, and aimed and fired.”
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11:53am — NBC’s Pete Williams says shooter was around 50 and associated with the Navy in some way. “This looks more and more like a workplace shooting.”
11:49am — CNN beginning to hedge on reports of second shooter.
11:48am – Police Spokeswoman Gwen Dolyn-Crump says “no shooting at Bolling.” In 20 minutes there will be a full briefing.
11:47am – NBC’s Pete Williams further backing off claim of second shooter. Have “confirmed” shooter is dead.
11:45am – News 4 says reports of shooter at Bolling Air Force Base are based on a “hoax,” and not related.
11:44am – News 4 reports that “shooter was targeting specific people” after killing guard. A double-barreled shotgun was used to wound a DC police officer.
11:42am – Medstar Hospital spokeswoman Janice Orloski says, “We understand there are individuals at the scene who will not be transported because they are deceased.”
11:39am – ABC News reports “shots fired at Bolling Air Force Base, miles away. Cited police source.” However, there are already reports that this is not true “despite scanner traffic.”
11:38am – AP: “Federal law enforcement official: Shooter at Washington Navy Yard has died.”
11:34 – Medstar Washington Hospital Center has received three gunshot victims. One is a police officer. Severely wounded but able to speak. Expecting more victims — per hospital spokeswoman.
11:31am – WGRZ reports that President Obama will make a statement at 11:40am.
11:30am – CNN: “Two shooters are down” per Ed Zeigler, Dir. Public Affairs for Naval District Washington
11:28am – NBC 4 reports “first shooter is dead.”
11:26am – Pete Williams now backing off claim of second shooter. Says police are using gunfire to open locked doors and that might have created reports of second shooter. Earlier, Williams reported that there was a “second front” in this shooting; a shooter in a different building.
11:24am – CNN’s Wolf Blitzer is reporting on a single shooter.
11:23am – DC police are preparing a press conference this morning.
11:19am – Report: “Victim of #navyyardshooting shot in the head – shot on the street outside gates of Navy Yard in Washington, DC “
11:17am – The Daily Caller reports that the Department of Homeland Security is already claiming the shooting was not “terrorism.”
11:15 – MSNBC says police are now convinced there are at least two shooters, holding out possibility there might be three.
11:13am – NBC’s Pete Williams reports that in what could be “well over a dozen” victims, “several” are law enforcement officers.
11:11am – NBC’s Pete Williams is now reporting that there is a “second front” in another building at the same facility; a second gunman that police are now attempting to contain.
11:09am – Police are telling family members to reunite at National Stadium Parking Lot B
11:06am – WUSA 9 reports that “TWO shooters at #NavyYardShooting are “DOWN” according to Ed Zeigler of Naval District of Washington Public Affairs”
11:04am – Actor Henry Winkler uses shooting to promote gun control.
11:03am – Multiple outlets report that “one” gunman is cornered but not in custody.
11:01am – CNN reports that at least two law enforcement officers are among the injured.
11:00am – AP reports that a gunman was shooting at people in a cafeteria from a 4th floor overlook.
10:58am – News 4 in DC and the Washington Post (both located in DC) seem convinced there is more than one shooter. Cable networks CNN and MSNBC are skeptical.
10:54am — News 4 reports that sources claim there is more gunfire happening now.
10:53am – News 4 reports that police are still sweeping building looking for 2nd shooter.
10:51am – NBC’s DC affiliate (News 4) is broadcasting live online and reporting that “at least” one shooter might still be at large.
10:49am – David Frum uses shooting to push gun control.
10:32am – The Washington Post reports that three gunmen were involved in the shooting.
10:30am – NBC’s Pete Williams said all of his reporting indicated there was only one shooter.