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2 Dead In Shooting At Air Force Base In Texas

Two men were killed in a shooting at an Air Force base in Texas, according to military and local law enforcement officials. Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland was briefly locked down following reports of an active shooter early Friday.

"What we know is that we have two victims right now, we're going through our process and procedures, and once we make a formal determination through the investigation we will let you know," Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert LaBrutta said at a news conference Friday.

He declined to identify the two men who died or the relationship between them, saying officials were conducting a next-of-kin identification and that the investigation was ongoing.

LaBrutta said two Glock weapons were found at the scene.

"Our initial assessment is that this is not an act of terrorism," FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Rob Saale told reporters. LaBrutta echoed that assessment, adding that he considered it a "one-off," without elaborating.

Military and law enforcement officials said the report of an active shooter at the facility's Forbes Hall came in at 8:40 a.m. local time, and two security patrols arrived within three minutes.

Joey Palacios of Texas Public Radio reported that the Bexar County Sheriff's Office believes the incident might have been a murder-suicide.

Here's more from Texas Public Radio:

"The lockdown on the base was lifted at about 10:20 a.m. after authorities — including Bexar County deputies and San Antonio Police officers — searched room [by] room to make sure there were no other shooters. The FBI is also on the scene and will take charge of the investigation."

The San Antonio Police Department said now that the lockdown has been lifted, traffic officers "have opened up roadways in the area."

Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland is the home of the Air Force's basic training unit, where recruits go through the service's boot camp and graduate to become what the force calls airmen.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

The location of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, where law enforcement officials responded to reports of an active shooter.
/ Google Maps/Screenshot by NPR
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Google Maps/Screenshot by NPR
The location of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, where law enforcement officials responded to reports of an active shooter.

Merrit Kennedy is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers a broad range of issues, from the latest developments out of the Middle East to science research news.