NAVY YARD MASSACRE: NAS Fallon remains ‘vigilant’ during shooting

Military and civilian personnel at Naval Air Station Fallon watched events unfold from Monday’s Washington Navy Yard shootings, but no additional security steps were taken, said base spokesman Zip Upham.

Operations at the air station, said Upham, was business as usual.

“We were watching the news and keeping vigilant,” Upham said.

A spokesman with the Nevada Military Department in Carson City also said no additional security measures were implemented at state headquarters or other Guard facilities.

At the Washington Navy Yard, police fatally shot the gunman who wore a military-style uniform after he had gunned down 12 people. The dead shooter was identified as Aaron Alexis, 34, of Texas, a defense contractor who had been working at the Washington Navy Yard. It was not known how the gunman died.

The shooting broke out just after 8 a.m. at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters in southeast Washington. Police said they had not established a motive for the shooting, which occurred less than four miles from the White House.

Officials said Alexis, who had spent four years in the Navy Reserve in Fort Worth, Texas, from 2007-2011, entered the Navy facility by using his government identification card.

Upham said Navy installations will later be affected by Monday’s shooting, especially with security plans. NAS Fallon conducted an active-shooter drill earlier this year to identify its response to gunmen taking aim on military personnel.

“Almost all security personnel will take a look at the situation and how to manage it if it happens here,” Upham said.

According to Upham, law enforcement and military agencies will conduct a review of the situation and how the various agencies responded. Information that unfolds from the reports, said Upham, will then been sent to other military installations.

The Associated Press reports the area where the rampage took place, known as Building 197, was part of the headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command, which buys, builds and maintains ships, submarines and combat systems. The yard is a labyrinth of buildings protected by armed guards at gates and metal detectors, and employees must show their IDs to come and go.

About 3,000 people — many of them civilians — work at the headquarters

Witnesses described a gunman opening fire from a fourth-floor overlook, aiming down on people in the cafeteria on the main floor. Others said a gunman fired at them in a third-floor hallway.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., spoke on the Senate floor Monday about shooting at the Washington Navy Yard.

“My sympathies are with the families of those who died. My thoughts are with those who were injured. And my best wishes go out to all those who work in the Navy Yard complex and the surrounding neighborhood.

“I commend the first responders who rushed to the scene for their professionalism. And my thanks go to all the brave law enforcement officials who are on the scene and who put their lives on the line to keep the city safe today.

“I will continue to follow this situation as it develops. And I will ensure that every federal resource is made available to support law enforcement and the military community and to bring those responsible for this terrible attack to justice.”

Because of the situation in Washington, D.C., The Senate adjourned until Tuesday.

With wire reports