Three dead, several injured in Pensacola naval station shooting

At least three people were killed in a shooting at the naval air station in Pensacola, Fla., the Navy said in a statement Friday.

The shooter has also been killed, according to both the Navy and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

Navy spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Megan Isaac told The Hill in an email that multiple injured personnel have been taken to hospitals.

“There was an active shooter incident at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida this morning. The base remains on lockdown,” Isaac said. “The shooter is confirmed deceased, and two additional fatalities are confirmed. Multiple injured personnel have been transported to local hospitals.”

The naval air station has more than 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian employees, according to its website.

White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said in a statement that President Trump “has been briefed on the shooting at Pensacola Naval Air Station/Forest Sherman Field and is monitoring the situation.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) who represents Pensacola, said in a tweet that he was “monitoring reports” of the shooting.

“Please pray for our military service members, law enforcement, and other first responders as they work to address the situation,” he wrote.

He also said in a video posted to Twitter that there were reports that the shooting occurred in the schoolhouse where naval pilot students learn about naval aviation. 

Gaetz and Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) have confirmed that the suspected shooter is a Saudi Arabian military official.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) also responded to the shooting on Twitter.

“Please pray for everyone impacted by this horrible situation,” he wrote.

Two people were also killed in a shooting at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu this week. 

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas B. Modly said in a statement on Friday that the Navy and Marine Corps teams are “struck and deeply saddened by the attacks within our own naval family over the past several days.”

“Our prayers are with the families of the fallen and with the wounded. It is our solemn duty to find the causes of such tragic loss and ceaselessly work together to prevent them,” Modly said. 

Updated at 2:29 p.m.