There have been no reports of Marines injured or killed during the shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, the Marine Corps confirmed to Marine Corps Times at 2:17 p.m. Friday.
A Saudi Arabian military student opened fire with a handgun early Friday morning in a classroom on the Florida air station, used especially to train aviators and flight officers with the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, as well as international students, Navy Times reported.
The shooter, who was killed in an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement, and at least three victims have been confirmed dead, while eight others have been confirmed injured, the Pentagon and the Escambia County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Navy Times.
While the Corps does not know enough to definitively say no Marines have been injured, Capt. Karoline Foote, a spokeswoman for the Marine Corps, said the Marine Corps has not received any reports of Marines injured during the base shooting.
A Marine source at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, who was in a building about a half mile away from the attack, told Marine Corps Times on background Friday that the Marine also was unaware of any Marines wounded in the attack.
As of 2 p.m. Friday, the east part of the base was still sheltered in place, and there were still “dozens of personnel waiting in cars, the [Navy Exchange], and entry level students sardined into classrooms,” that Marine said.
At 2:21 p.m. Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger tweeted that his thoughts were with “our shipmates and Navy families affected by the recent tragedies."
The Coast Guard confirmed to Navy Times after the shooting that all of its personnel were accounted for and that there were no reported Coast Guard injuries or deaths at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
The names of the victims will not be released until the next-of-kin have been notified.
The wounded also included two officers, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan confirmed in a press conference.
Overseas operations reporter Shawn Snow contributed to this report.
