Stephen Losey and Oriana Pawlyk, Air Force Times 4:55 p.m. EDT April 8, 2016
The morning calm at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland was shattered Friday when an apparent murder-suicide at a classroom building left two men dead, triggered a lockdown and brought a swarm of military, federal and local law enforcement.
Now, a shaken military community is trying to piece together what may have prompted the violence.
"This morning, we received one of those calls that you never want to receive," Brig. Gen. Bob LaBrutta, commander of the 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio, said in a news conference after the lockdown had been lifted. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the families that are going to be affected by this tragedy. The care of those families is really foremost in our minds right now."
Details about the incident were slow to emerge Friday. LaBrutta said that, pending notification of the victims' families, the Air Force would not release any information about them, their relationship, or speculate about the shooting's possible motive.
However, Air Force Times obtained an internal Pentagon memo indicating the commanding officer of a training squadron at the base was shot by another airman. That communication, distributed among senior military officials as law enforcement officials swarmed the base's Medina Annex, apparently listed an incorrect squadron. The mistake was pointed out by an Air Force spokeswoman at the Pentagon, who said she was not authorized to offer further clarity.
The Associated Press also reported Friday that an unnamed senior U.S. official confirmed an airman shot his commander.
The shooting took place at Building 147 of the Medina Annex, in a classroom facility known as Forbes Hall, said Lt. Col. Bobby Ford, who leads the base's security forces squadron. The first 911 call was made at 8:40 a.m. Central Standard Time, he added.
Ford said two patrols responded to the scene within three minutes and entered the building to begin searching. The base was immediately placed on lockdown, he said.
Within eight minutes, Ford said, officers found the two men dead in an office on the first floor. LaBrutta said two Glock pistols were found at the scene.
For the next hour, first responders continued to sweep the building searching for other potential shooters or victims. At 10 a.m., the building was declared safe and law enforcement began investigating the crime scene, Ford said.
The lockdown was lifted at 10:17 a.m., Ford said.
Bexar County Sheriff's Office spokesman James Keith told reporters that "Right now it does appear to be a murder-suicide situation."
Lt. Col. Jeremy Waller, commander of the Office of Special Investigations' 11th Field Investigations Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio, said OSI agents are conducting the crime scene investigation and looking into how the shooting began. Waller said the investigation would continue for several hours.
The FBI said its agents were offering assistance to support the investigation. Terrorism is not suspected, officials said.
Friday's shooting marks the latest in a series of violent attacks inside the nation's military facilities. The trend has caused anxiety among service members and their families, while sparking debate over how the military can ensure their safety.
Last summer, after four Marines and a Navy sailor were killed by a terrorist in Chattanooga, Tennessee, there were calls in Congress and beyond to allow military personnel to carry firearms while on duty. That debate has intensified as the Islamic State militant group issues threats against U.S. troops and their families, encouraging sympathizers to attack them in the open.
LaBrutta said only authorized law enforcement such as security forces and Office of Special Investigations agents are allowed to carry weapons on base. He said the investigation into Friday's shooting will look at how the weapons were brought into the facility.
The incident took place on the same day that several hundred new airmen and their families gathered at the base to mark their graduation from basic military training.
