No sign of shooter after report of shots fired at Naval Air Station Pensacola sends base into lockdown | CNN

CNN — 

Military police and local law enforcement responded to reports of “a potential active shooter” at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, Thursday afternoon, though the threat appeared to be unfounded, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said.

Photos and video from the scene showed a large law enforcement response.

But responding law enforcement found no signs of a shooter and no one with injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.

“There were two reports of three gunshots being heard, and we have no evidence of that,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.

The main gate and west gate were open to Department of Defense identification card holders, but public visitation is “currently unavailable” as of Thursday afternoon, the base said in a post on X. All gates to NAS Pensacola’s Corry Station are closed, the base said.

“Individuals on NAS Pensacola are advised to follow directions from the air station’s Navy Security Forces personnel,” the base said.

“Our Security team is responding swiftly and expertly with our local law enforcement partners,” NAS Pensacola Capt. Chandra Newman said in a post on X. “Our concern is always the safety and welfare of our service members and their families.”

NAS Pensacola Public Affairs declined to comment when CNN reached them by phone.

A spokesperson for Escambia County Fire Rescue confirmed they responded to the incident but directed all inquiries to NAS Pensacola.

The FBI’s Pensacola satellite office also responded, a spokesperson from the FBI office in Jacksonville said.

NAS Pensacola is home to the Navy’s Blue Angels, and is located in Escambia County, Florida.

Corry Station is a sub-installation of NAS Pensacola. It is home to a command of the Center for Information Warfare Training, including service members who specialize in cryptology and cyberwarfare.

The installation has more than 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel on the base, according to the Department of Defense.

A second lieutenant in the Saudi Arabian military involved in flight training opened fire at NAS Pensacola in 2019, killing three people and injuring at least eight others.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Josh Campbell contributed to this report.

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