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Pensacola, Florida, Naval Air Station shooting: what we know
A shooter at Pensacola, Florida, Naval Air Station killed at least three people and injured eight others.
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A shooter at the Pensacola, Florida, Naval Air Station killed at least three people and injured eight others on Friday morning, local and federal officials confirmed. Sheriff deputies killed the shooter.
“Our community is secure at this time. We have no reason to believe — or are we looking for — any additional shooters within Escambia County,” Sheriff David Morgan said at a press conference.
This story is still developing. Here’s what we know, and don’t, so far.
What we know
- Around 6:50 am local time on Friday, police received calls of a shooting at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, officials said at a press conference.
- At least four people, including the shooter, were killed and eight others were injured, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said at a press conference. Two deputies were among the injured.
- The Navy identified those killed as: 19-year-old Airman Mohammed Sameh Haitham, 21-year-old Airman Apprentice Cameron Scott Walters; and 23-year-old Ensign Joshua Kaleb Watson. A Navy spokesperson said all three “saved lives” and that they died trying to stop the gunman.
- Escambia County sheriff deputies killed the shooter, who used a handgun, officials said at a press conference.
- A Saudi aviation student and member of the Royal Saudi Air Force named Ahmed Mohammed al-Shamrani is the suspect in the shooting, according to officials.
- Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said at a Friday press conference, “The government of Saudi Arabia needs to make things better for these victims, and I think that they’re going to owe a debt here, given that this was one of their individuals.”
- Students from other partner countries, including Saudi Arabia, will sometimes train at the base, officials said at a press conference.
- The Pensacola Naval Air Station “employs more than 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel,” according to the base’s website. Nearly 60,000 students graduate there each year.
Christina Animashaun/Vox
- “Just received a full briefing on the tragic shooting at NAS Pensacola in Florida, and spoke to @GovRonDeSantis,” President Donald Trump said on Twitter Friday. “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult time. We are continuing to monitor the situation as the investigation is ongoing.”
- Vice President Mike Pence and Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) also responded on Twitter, saying they’re watching the situation and praying for the victims.
- Several GOP Florida elected officials, including US Rep. Matt Gaetz and Sen. Rick Scott both called the shooting an act of terrorism, but authorities have said it’s too early to establish the gunman’s motive.
- The FBI has taken over the investigation, an FBI spokesperson told CNN. Six other Saudi nationals were detained for questioning near the scene of the shooting.
- Before Friday, there were 390 mass shootings in 2019, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The group defines a mass shooting as incidents in which four or more people, excluding the shooter, were injured but not necessarily killed in a similar time and place.
- On Wednesday, a Navy sailor shot three people and killed himself in Pearl Harbor.
What we don’t know
- The shooter’s motive.
