At Least 4 Dead, Including Shooter, In Florida Naval Base Shooting

At least three people were killed and the suspected shooter is dead after a shooting at a naval facility in Pensacola, Florida, the U.S. Navy and local authorities said Friday. The local sheriff’s office also confirmed that the shooter died after being shot by a police deputy.

Eight other people are currently being treated at local hospitals, according to Chief Deputy Chip Simmons of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Two deputies were among the injured, one of whom was shot in the arm and one who was shot in the knee, according to The New York Times.

Several injured victims were still in surgery as of Friday afternoon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said at a news conference.

DeSantis confirmed previous reports that the shooter was a Saudi national who was at the Naval Air Station Pensacola for an international flight training program.

“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.

The Navy received reports of an active shooter at the station around 6:45 a.m. local time and placed the base on lockdown, according to a Navy spokesperson. 

Simmons said Friday morning the police had officers at the location “within just a couple of minutes” of receiving a call about the shooting. 

Authorities said they could not yet publicly identify any victims because “notifications have not been completed.” They would not speculate on whether the incident was terrorism, nor would they provide details about the exact location of the shooting or the weapon used. They stressed the incident is over.

“Our community is secure at this time,” Sheriff David Morgan said. “We have no reason to believe, nor are we looking for, any additional shooters.”

DeSantis, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and President Donald Trump said Friday that they were monitoring the situation.

Trump tweeted that King Salman of Saudi Arabia had called him to offer his condolences.

This is the second shooting incident at a naval facility this week. On Wednesday, a Navy sailor at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii shot two civilians and wounded another before killing himself.