Updated 3:00 PM EST
Four Marines were shot and killed Thursday morning in a shooting at two military facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The sole gunman was killed. A police officer was also shot but he has survived and is being treated, according to reports.
The Marine Corps has not yet confirmed whether any Marines were injured in this morning’s shooting.
"We are working closely with the U.S. Navy and local and federal law enforcement to determine exactly what happened today in Chattanooga. We cannot confirm any Marine Corps casualties at this time," the Marine Corps said in a statement. The service said it would post updates to its Facebook page.
Chattanooga police said in a tweet Thursday afternoon that the active shooter situation was over, though there was no word on what had happened to the suspect or suspects. The Chattanooga Free Times Press is reporting that the shooter has been killed.
Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke said at a news conference that it was a "very terrible situation." He did not release any other details.
Police have set up a command post near one of the sites. It was not immediately clear how many people may have been hurt.
U.S. Navy officials said there was a shooting at a Navy building on Amnicola Highway in Chattanooga.
Law enforcement officials told recruiters at a facility seven miles away on Old Lee Highway that they were also attacked by a shooter in a car. The shooter stopped in front of the recruiting facility, shot at the building and drove off, said Brian Lepley, a spokesman with the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Kentucky.
The Army recruiters at the facility told Lepley they were not hurt and had evacuated; Lepley said he had no information about recruiters for the other branches at the facility.
The Navy Operational Support Center and Marine Corps Reserve Center Chattanooga sits between the highway and a pathway that runs through Tennessee RiverPark, a popular park at a bend in the Tennessee River northeast of downtown Chattanooga. It's in a light industrial area that includes a Coca-Cola bottling plant and Binswanger Glass.
The two entrances to the fenced facility have unmanned gates and concrete barriers that require approaching cars to slow down to drive around them.
Marilyn Hutcheson, who works at Binswanger Glass just across the street, told the Associated Press she heard a barrage of gunfire around 11 a.m.
"I couldn't even begin to tell you how many," she told the AP. "It was rapid fire, like pow pow pow pow pow, so quickly. The next thing I knew, there were police cars coming from every direction."
She ran inside, where she remained locked down with other employees and a customer. The gunfire continued with occasional bursts she estimated for 20 minutes.
"We're apprehensive," Hutcheson said. "Not knowing what transpired, if it was a grievance or terroristic related, we just don't know."
The Armed Forces Career Center on Lee Highway sits in a short strip between a Cricket Wireless and an Italian restaurant with no apparent additional security.
Near the other shooting location on Lee Highway, Nicholas Donohue heard a blast of gunshots while working at Desktop Solutions. But he had music playing and wasn't quite sure what the noise had been. He turned off the music and seconds later, a second blast thundered. He took shelter in a back room.
"Even though it knew it was most likely gunfire I heard, you also don't want to believe it's happening in the moment," he told the Associated Press. "Since I didn't see anything, I couldn't be sure."
By the time he emerged, police were cordoning off the area.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.
-- Michael Hoffman can be reached at mike.hoffman@military.com
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Updated 2:32 PM EST
Four Marines and one police officer were shot Thursday morning at two military facilities including a Navy recruiting building in Chattanooga, Tenn., according to multiple news reports.
However, the Marine Corps has yet to confirm whether any Marines were injured in this morning’s shooting.
“We are working closely with the U.S. Navy and local and federal law enforcement to determine exactly what happened today in Chattanooga. We cannot confirm any Marine Corps casualties at this time,” the Marine Corps said in a statement. The service said it would post updates to its Facebook page.
Chattanooga police said in a tweet Thursday afternoon that the active shooter situation was over, though there was no word on what had happened to the suspect or suspects. The Chattanooga Free Times Press is reporting that the shooter has been killed.
Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke said at a news conference that it was a "very terrible situation." He did not release any other details.
Police have set up a command post near one of the sites. It was not immediately clear how many people may have been hurt.
U.S. Navy officials said there was a shooting at a Navy building on Amnicola Highway in Chattanooga.
Law enforcement officials told recruiters at a facility seven miles away on Old Lee Highway that they were also attacked by a shooter in a car. The shooter stopped in front of the recruiting facility, shot at the building and drove off, said Brian Lepley, a spokesman with the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Kentucky.
The Army recruiters at the facility told Lepley they were not hurt and had evacuated; Lepley said he had no information about recruiters for the other branches at the facility.
The Navy Operational Support Center and Marine Corps Reserve Center Chattanooga sits between the highway and a pathway that runs through Tennessee RiverPark, a popular park at a bend in the Tennessee River northeast of downtown Chattanooga. It's in a light industrial area that includes a Coca-Cola bottling plant and Binswanger Glass.
The two entrances to the fenced facility have unmanned gates and concrete barriers that require approaching cars to slow down to drive around them.
Marilyn Hutcheson, who works at Binswanger Glass just across the street, told the Associated Press she heard a barrage of gunfire around 11 a.m.
"I couldn't even begin to tell you how many," she told the AP. "It was rapid fire, like pow pow pow pow pow, so quickly. The next thing I knew, there were police cars coming from every direction."
She ran inside, where she remained locked down with other employees and a customer. The gunfire continued with occasional bursts she estimated for 20 minutes.
"We're apprehensive," Hutcheson said. "Not knowing what transpired, if it was a grievance or terroristic related, we just don't know."
The Armed Forces Career Center on Lee Highway sits in a short strip between a Cricket Wireless and an Italian restaurant with no apparent additional security.
Near the other shooting location on Lee Highway, Nicholas Donohue heard a blast of gunshots while working at Desktop Solutions. But he had music playing and wasn't quite sure what the noise had been. He turned off the music and seconds later, a second blast thundered. He took shelter in a back room.
"Even though it knew it was most likely gunfire I heard, you also don't want to believe it's happening in the moment," he told the Associated Press. "Since I didn't see anything, I couldn't be sure."
By the time he emerged, police were cordoning off the area.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Original Story:
U.S. Navy officials are confirming that there was a shooting Thursday morning at the Naval Recruiting Building on Amnicola Highway in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
City officials have said a Chattanooga police officer was shot in the area, but the Navy is not confirming that he was shot at the recruiting building.
Officials from Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke’s office said there could be multiple victims and a search is ongoing for the shooter or shooters, as the number of shooters has not been determined.
Military.com will provide updates throughout the day as they are announced.
-- Michael Hoffman can be reached at mike.hoffman@military.com
