Shooting at the Washington Naval Yard

There have been a lot of updates and we're continuing to get additional information, so I'm moving this back to the top of the page for a bit.

[Content Note: Guns; violence.]

The US Navy is reporting that around a dozen people have been injured and there may be fatalities at the Washington Naval Yard this morning, after a shooter (or multiple shooters) fired on employees in the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters building.

Reports are very preliminary at this point, so I'm cautious about passing on information. Please note that this information may change. Eyewitnesses say the gun used appeared to be an assault rifle, and that the shooter was a man dressed in all black. Police are looking for as many as three shooters at the moment, but it's not clear if there actually were three separate shooters or, if as frequently happens in mass shootings, the chaos makes it seem like there were multiple shooters when there was only one.

The (or one) shooter barricaded himself in a room in the building late this morning, and has reportedly been killed by police.

I will continue to update as information becomes available. Please feel welcome and encouraged to leave information in comments, especially if you see contact info about where to check on employees at Building 197.

UPDATE 1: Security teams have entered a second building looking for a second shooter. Just to be clear, it's not yet confirmed (that I've seen) that there is a second shooter, but there have been reports of shots fired, so authorities are following up on those reports.

UPDATE 2: There are now reports that no additional shooters have been identified, and that the single shooter has been "neutralized." Whether that means killed or taken into custody, I don't know at this point. The additional shots fired have been attributed to tactical teams shooting open locked doors.

UPDATE 3: There are confirmed fatalities at the scene, but the number is not known. Three people have been taken to a local hospital with critical injuries, but, according to a press conference with a hospital spokesperson, all three are alert and are expected to recover. The hospital says they expect to receive more injured victims.

UPDATE 4: Per the US Navy: "Family members looking for information about their loved ones can call 202-433-6151 or 202-433-9713."

UPDATE 5: Multiple news outlets are now reporting the shooter is dead. It is not known at this time whether he shot himself or was killed by authorities.

UPDATE 6: According to DC Mayor Vincent Gray, 12 people have been killed in the shooting. I don't even know what to say. My condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues. I hope the survivors will get the support that they need.

UPDATE 7: President Obama has made a statement on the shooting: "We're 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 jobs and protecting of all of us. They're patriots. They know the the dangers of serving abroad, but today they faced the unimaginable violence that they wouldn't have expected here at home." I don't really agree with the President that this sort of violence in the US is unexpected. It has become too routine to reasonably assert that it's unexpected, I'm afraid.

UPDATE 8: According to the LA Times, an anonymous law enforcement officials says: "Federal officials have identified a 34-year-old man from Fort Worth, Texas, as the shooter responsible for killing 11 people at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday. The shooter, who was killed by police during a gun battle some two hours after the initial shootings, was a government civilian contractor new to the Washington, D.C., area." The name of the shooter has not been released.

UPDATE 9: The AP has identified the shooter as Aaron Alexis. According to one federal law enforcement official, "Alexis was a 34-year-old from Texas. He is believed to have a criminal record there and to be a holder of a concealed carry weapon permit. That official says Alexis is believed to have gotten into the Navy Yard by using someone else's identification card. It is not yet clear if that individual was an accomplice or if that person's ID card was stolen."