The Latest: Shooter report stemmed from misunderstanding


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JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (AP) — The Latest on reports of an active shooter at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington (all times local):

11:45 a.m.

Officials say reports of an active shooter at a military post outside Washington stemmed from someone who made a distress call after seeing security forces doing a routine inspection.

The confusion was heightened by a planned active shooter drill at Joint Base Andrews that had not yet begun and was planned for later in the morning. The base said in a Facebook post Thursday that there was no shooter and no threat to the base or workers there.

The base had been placed on lockdown after an active shooter was reported. The base is home to Air Force One and is about 20 miles from Washington.

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10:45 a.m.

A military post near Washington says a lockdown has been lifted, except for the medical building where an active shooter was reported.

Joint Base Andrews said in a tweet Thursday morning that the all-clear was given for the base except for the medical building. The base did not say why the building remained on lockdown.

A law enforcement official says no active shooter was found at a military post outside Washington.

The law enforcement official was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The base had been placed on lockdown after an active shooter was reported. The base is home to Air Force One and is about 20 miles from Washington.

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10:35 a.m.

A law enforcement official says no active shooter was found at a military post outside Washington.

The law enforcement official was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Joint Base Andrews had been placed on lockdown Thursday morning after an active shooter was reported. The base is home to Air Force One and is about 20 miles from Washington.

An active shooter exercise had also been planned at the base, but officials said the situation became "real world."

The situation unfolded at a medical facility on the post. Joint Base Andrews issued a tweet telling all personnel at the base in Washington's Maryland suburbs to shelter in place.

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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report from Washington.

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10:30 a.m.

Vice President Joe Biden was scheduled to leave from Andrews on Thursday morning, but his trip has been delayed by the lockdown.

The vice president's office says he is waiting out the delay at his residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington.

Biden was due in Columbus, Ohio for a midday campaign event for former Gov. Ted Strickland, who is running for Senate.

The president, vice president and other senior government officials fly in and out of Joint Base Andrews. The base is the home of Air Force One and other aircraft used for official travel.

President Barack Obama was last at the base Wednesday night when he returned from a trip to Ottawa, Canada.

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This story has been corrected to show that Strickland is former, not current, Ohio governor.

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10:20 a.m.

Emergency vehicles with lights on but no sirens are in the area of a military base on lockdown after an active shooter was reported on the post.

At least three people in camouflage and helmets could be seen walking working dogs around the three-story medical building at Joint Base Andrews. The post is home to Air Force One and is about 20 miles outside Washington.

The base was put on lockdown Thursday morning after an active shooter was reported. An active shooter exercise had been planned, but officials say reports of a real-world active shooter came in.

Around 10:15 a.m., a few people could be seen walking out of the building, including a person being wheeled in a wheelchair.

Helicopters hovered overhead, but it is unclear if they are news or military helicopters.

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10:10 a.m.

Officials say first responders are trying to secure the scene of an active shooter report at a military post near Washington.

Joint Base Andrews, which is about 20 miles outside the nation's capital and is home to Air Force One, said in a tweet Thursday that the base is reacting to the active shooter report to ensure the safety of all personnel.

It was not immediately clear if any shots were fired or if anyone was wounded.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says there is an "unfolding situation" at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland but is providing no further details.

The base tweeted Thursday morning that it was on lockdown after reports of an active shooter.

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10 a.m.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says there is an "unfolding situation" at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland but is providing no further details.

The base, which is home to Air Force One, tweeted Thursday that the base is on lockdown due to a report of an active shooter.

The tweet instructs all personnel at the base in Washington's Maryland suburbs to shelter in place and says more information will be released as it comes.

Johnson is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He says he may have to take a break from the hearing as the situation at Andrews develops.

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9:55 a.m.

An employee at a medical facility at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington says an active-shooter drill had been planned, but officials later told workers it was a "real-world" situation.

Rodney Smith is a patient advocate at the military post's medical facility. He said Thursday that he was on lockdown and didn't have any more information.

Smith said by phone: "First it was an active-shooter exercise. Then it came back 'real world.'"

Smith said the situation was unfolding at the newer of two buildings at the Malcolm Grow Medical Facility on the base. He was in the older building.

Joint Base Andrews said in a tweet that the incident is ongoing and that first responders are on scene.

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9:50 a.m.

Joint Base Andrews tweets that the base is on lockdown due to a report of an active shooter.

The tweet sent Thursday morning instructs all personnel at the base in Washington's Maryland suburbs to shelter in place and says more information will be released as it comes.

A second tweet from the base says the incident is ongoing at the Malcolm Grow Medical Facility and first responders are on the scene. It instructs everyone to continue to shelter in place, a precaution meant to keep people safe while remaining indoors.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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