Reports of an active shooter at Naval Medical Center San Diego the morning of Jan. 26 led to a lengthy lockdown of the Balboa Park military facility and of schools nearby, but Navy officials have confirmed no gunman was found and no injuries were reported. The center was placed on lockdown just after 8 a.m. Jan. 26, and people inside were ordered to shelter in place after an unidentified Department of Defense employee reported hearing three shots fired in the basement of Building 26, which houses a gym and barracks, according to the Navy. More than two hours later, K9 units were sweeping the military medical center, honing in on Building 26, Brian O’Rourke, PAO Navy Region Southwest, said. Initial searches of Building 26 turned up no evidence of a gunman or shots fired, O’Rourke said. N. Scott Sutherland, deputy director of public affairs for Navy Region Southwest, sent out the following information just after 10:30 a.m., echoing the details from O’Rourke. “The investigation of Building 26 continues. First responders and Navy working dog units have conducted an initial top-down inspection of the building and have not located any casualties or evidence of a shooting having taken place. There have been no reported casualties at this time. There is a secondary, more thorough floor-by-floor inspection taking place at this time. The medical facility remains on lockdown, and a shelter in place order remains in effect.” But at 10:30 a.m., Navy officials said that there was no threat at the hospital. “We have done a number of clearing sweeps of the building, and as of this time, we have found nothing that substantiates those reports,” explained Capt. Curt Jones, commanding officer of Naval Base San Diego. At a noon news conference, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and San Diego Police Department Chief Shelley Zimmerman praised the quick response and teamwork by local and federal agencies. “This is what we train for, as a region, as a city,” said Faulconer. “This is exactly what we want, and we train for this,” Zimmerman added. “When that call came in that there was an active shooter on the base, no one hesitated.” Se further called the coming together of law enforcement a “unified collaborative response.” By 2 p.m., the center’s main and emergency gates were open to traffic. – NBC 7
