A report of an active shooter Thursday at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was a false alarm, the base has announced.
- During an installation exercise that included an active shooter scenario, “An unknown individual called 911 believing that there was a real-world incident occurring within the base hospital,” the base tweeted on Thursday afternoon.
- Things became more confusing during a search of the hospital, when a security forces airman fired his weapon “in an attempt to breech a door that was locked,” according to the tweet.
- “The scene has been declared safe and all personnel have been advised to avoid the base hospital area for the time being,” the tweet says.
- News of the false alarm came after a series of alarming string of tweets that began when the base first tweeted : “At approximately 12:40 p.m. today, base emergency responders, including security forces and fire department, responded to a reported incident in building 830, the Wright-Patt Hospital.”
- Shortly afterward, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and Explosives tweeted that agents from its office in Columbus, Ohio, were en route to the base. And Ohio Gov. John Kasich tweeted that he had ordered the state highway patrol to “provide all possible support to the first responders managing the situation at Wright-Patterson AFB,” adding: “Please join me in prayers for the safety of all involved.”
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.