The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, was placed under lockdown on Thursday following unspecified threats, according to Navy spokesman Lt. Naweed Lemar. There were reports that a dismissed midshipman returned to campus with a weapon and opened fire.
Gunfire was heard inside Bancroft Hall, the academy’s massive dormitory housing more than 1,600 midshipmen, Fox News reported, citing Naval Academy sources. The alleged shooter was said to have knocked on doors while posing as a military policeman. Located on the banks of the Severn River, the Naval Academy is a four-year college that prepares students, who are called midshipmen to be commissioned as officers in the Navy and Marine Corps.
Local law enforcement officers responded to the scene, though the Annapolis Police Department declined to provide details, reported The New York Times. Ambulances were seen gathering at a staging area near the campus’s rear gate, with several moving forward about 20 minutes later. Emails from 5:32 p.m. shared with The New York Times show that an academy midshipman who was standing watch warned students to “get inside and lock your door right now. Not a drill. Get inside and lock your door.”
Following this, midshipmen in the seventh wing of Bancroft Hall were also ordered to evacuate 12 minutes later.
