MacDill Air Force Base Lockdown Lifted After Reports Of An Active Shooter

MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, was briefly put on lockdown Friday morning after a report of an armed suspect outside the base. Base officials were assisting local law enforcement in searching for the suspect, Lt. Brandon Hanner, a spokesman for MacDill said. All MacDill gates to the base were reopened except for the one closest to the location where the suspect was seen.

In a Facebook post, the base said: "MacDill Air Force Base went on Lockdown approximately 7:00 a.m. this morning due to potential armed suspect near the Tanker Way gate area of MacDill AFB. Local authorities are currently searching for the suspect. MacDill first responders are on the scene, and have isolated the response to the Tanker Way area. MacDill has opened all gates except Tanker Way gate."

Traffic was at a standstill on numerous roads around the base, which is near downtown Tampa, news outlets reported. MacDill is the headquarters for U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command. Earlier the base confirmed to CBS News that it sent out an alert Friday morning for a possible active shooter and was assessing the situation. 

MacDill is the home of the 6th Air Refueling Wing. There are more than 15,000 military personnel at the base. A large number of military personnel and their families live on the base in military housing.

Friday's lockdown came a month after 2nd Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani, a 21-year-old Saudi Air Force officer, killed three U.S. sailors and injured eight other people Dec. 6 at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

First published on January 10, 2020 / 7:37 AM

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