Authorities say at least four people are dead, including the suspected attacker, after an active shooter was reported at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., Dec. 6.
Escambia Sheriff’s spokeswoman Amber Southard told The Associated Press that the shooter is dead.
At approximately 6:30 a.m., CST, police started to receive calls of a shooting at the Pensacola base that sits in the Florida Panhandle. News outlets are reporting that 11 people have been taken to area hospitals.
Five people were taken to Baptist Health Care in Pensacola, hospital spokeswoman Kathy Bowers said. Six more were taken to Ascension Sacred Heart, spokesman Mike Burke said. Neither Bowers or Burke had information on their conditions that could be share.
Pensacola Police spokesman Mike Wood has confirmed that law enforcement responded to the active shooter. Base spokesman Jason Bortz said both gates are closed and the base is on lockdown.
NAS Pensacola employs more than 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel, according to its website. One of the Navy’s most historic and storied bases, it sprawls along the waterfront southwest of downtown Pensacola. The base dominates the economy of the surrounding area and includes the National Naval Aviation Museum, a popular regional tourist attraction.
The Pensacola base is also the home of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels aerial demonstration team.