The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, was placed on lockdown after reports that a dismissed midshipman returned to campus armed and began firing inside Bancroft Hall, academy and law enforcement officials said.
Authorities said the Naval Support Activity Annapolis and local law enforcement were responding to reports of threats to the academy. A campus official and multiple media outlets reported that gunfire was heard inside Bancroft Hall, the large dormitory that houses midshipmen.
A campus official told media outlets the person who returned to campus allegedly knocked on dormitory doors while claiming to be a military police officer. Video published by a national outlet showed at least one person being taken from an ambulance and loaded into a medevac helicopter on the academy grounds.
"Naval Support Activity Annapolis, in coordination with local law enforcement, is currently responding to reports of threats made to the Naval Academy," NSAA public affairs officer Lt. Naweed Lemar said in a statement. "The base is on lockdown out of an abundance of caution. This is a developing situation and we will provide updates as they become available." The statement did not provide details on injuries, the identity of the individual reported to have fired, or the number of people affected.
The Naval Academy is a federal service academy that educates and commissions officers for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Bancroft Hall houses hundreds of midshipmen and is a central residential and administrative building on the campus. Academy officials have historically coordinated closely with local and federal law enforcement in response to security threats.
Local law enforcement agencies were on scene alongside academy police, and investigators were conducting searches and interviews as the lockdown remained in place. Officials did not immediately release information about whether the shooter remained on campus or had been taken into custody.
Media organizations cited unnamed academy sources and video footage in their initial reporting. The Naval Support Activity statement emphasized that the lockdown was being implemented "out of an abundance of caution." Authorities urged the public to avoid the area and said they would provide additional information as it became available.
The investigation was ongoing. Officials asked anyone with information to contact local law enforcement; further details, including a timeline, casualty information and any possible charges, had not been released at the time of the lockdown notice.