Washington Navy Yard Shooting: Several Dead

Two gunmen have shot 12 people, killing four, in an attack at the US Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters in Washington, according to police sources.

The men, one dressed in military fatigues, launched their attack on one of the biggest naval command buildings in the US in the early morning rush as people arrived for work.

Navy officials told Sky News that they were dealing with two gunmen and later confirmed that one had been killed.

Washington Post were reporting the men had shot dead four people and injured eight, sparking fears that it could be a terrorist attack.

Six schools in Washington have been put on lockdown.

A helicopter lifts a person from the roof at the navy yard

Authorities have officially confirmed only that there have been several fatalities and that at least 10 have been injured.

The President is being regularly briefed on the rapidly unfolding situation as law enforcement teams attempt to locate the gunmen inside the naval base.

Police and federal agents from multiple law enforcement agencies responded as the base, where 3,000 people work, was secured while officers searched for the shooter inside the complex.

Ambulances were parked outside, streets in the area were closed and flights at Reagan National Airport were temporarily halted.

Witnesses described a gunman opening fire from the fourth floor, aiming down on people in the first-floor cafeteria. Others said a gunman fired at them in a third-floor hallway.

Patricia Ward, who works at the command centre, and witnessed the attack said: "It just happened so fast."

She said that a gunman had been shooting into the atrium and added: "but I didn't pay any attention to that, I just kept on running."

Responding to questions about the level of security at the base Ms Ward said: "It's not secure enough for me."

She said that staff had to have a card to get on to the complex and that without one it would be difficult to pass security.

Todd Brundidge, an executive assistant with Navy Sea Systems Command, said he and other co-workers encountered a gunman in a hallway of their building on the third floor. 

SWAT teams on the roof at Navy Sea Systems Command

"He just turned and started firing," he said.

Terrie Durham, an executive assistant, said she also saw the gunman firing toward her and Mr Brundridge.

"He aimed high and missed," she said. "He said nothing. As soon as I realised he was shooting, we just said, 'Get out of the building.'"

Officials at MedStar Washington Hospital Center said two shooting victims had been brought there.

Teams on the ground at America's oldest navy yard

Sky News US Correspondent Greg Milam said: "If it is confirmed there is more than one gunman it suggests a level of coordination, of planing, maybe something more than just domestic issues, maybe you start then to question whether there is a terrorist motivation."

Tim Jones, a journalist with Sky News radio, said that when he visited the navy yard in April this year, he had found there were very few security checks to get on  to the base.

He said: "I showed my passport at the security gate, and got waved through. No scanners, no pat-downs, nothing.

I was only there to visit the museum, but got totally lost on the site, and was never challenged. My impression is there's a very significant civilian workforce on this base."

One of the gunmen, has been described as black, wearing dark clothing and around 5ft 10ins. They were said to have been carrying AR-15 rifles.

The weapon is the country's best selling rifle and the same weapon used in the both the Aurora cinema shooting where 12 were killed and the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut last year, where gunman Adam Lanza killed 20 children.

A helicopter in the skies above the naval base

A Navy statement said: "An active shooter was reported inside the ... building on the Washington Navy Yard at 8:20 am Eastern Time.

"Emergency personnel remain on scene and a 'shelter in place' order has been issued for Navy Yard personnel."

Secretary of the navy Ray Mabus said: "I'm deeply shocked and saddened by the shooting this morning at the Navy Yard.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. I have complete confidence in our first responders, and I continue to be completely focused on this very difficult situation."

Naval Sea Systems Command is the largest of the Navy's five system commands and accounts for a quarter of the Navy's entire budget.

It builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and their combat systems.

:: US Navy Base Shooting: Live Updates

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