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Base is on lockdown as first responders secure the scene

Naval Air Station Pensacola officials said in a release this morning that an active shooter incident occurred on the base.

According to officials, four people are confirmed dead, including the shooter. According to an Associated Press report, a U.S. official said the suspect in the shooting was an aviation student from Saudi Arabia. Authorities are investigating if the shooting was terrorism-related, according to the report.

The NAS said in a release the incident took place this morning at Building 633. The base is still on lockdown as first responders secure the scene.

Base security and the Navy Criminal Investigative Service are currently investigating, according to the NAS.l

The names of the victims will not be released until the next of kin have been notified.

More information will be released as it becomes available.

A statement from Baptist Health is below:

Baptist Hospital continues to care for the patients from NAS Pensacola. We received eight patients. Baptist Hospital services have not been interrupted. All services are fully operational. If you have an appointment on our campus, it is not affected by this event.

While we never expect something like this to happen in our community, our Baptist Health Care teams train continuously to respond, rendering exceptional care. All of our responding departments, particularly the emergency department, went into immediate action to care for these individuals, exercising great urgency, compassion and medical expertise.

We thank our partners at NAS Pensacola, Escambia County emergency management services and law enforcement for their tremendous coordinated response. We also thank the medical community and government agencies local, state and national who reached out to offer support. In addition, we are grateful to members of our community who reached out to offer assistance and prayers. Please note that we do have an adequate supply of blood; however, we always encourage blood donations be given to One Blood.

We extend our love and prayers to our NAS Pensacola family. We are here to support you today and beyond.

Rep. Bradley Byrne released the following statement in regard to the active shooter incident:

“Rebecca and I offer our heartfelt condolences to all of those impacted by today’s terrible act of violence in Pensacola. We owe our gratitude to the medical and law enforcement professionals whose bravery and quick response prevented further lives from being taken. While we continue the critical process of gathering the facts behind this cowardly act, let’s join together in offering our full support to all the victims and their loved ones.”