A sailor is dead after a civilian fired a handgun at the Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Monday night. Security officers shot and killed the civilian, NBC News reported.
The shooting occurred at around 11:30 p.m. aboard the USS Mahan, a U.S. Navy destroyer which was docked at Pier 1. The civilian, who was male and had authorized access, struggled with a security guard, took the guard's gun and shot a male sailor.
Security forces intervened, and both the sailor and civilian were pronounced dead on the scene, WVEC-TV reported.
The Norfolk station, the largest naval base in the world, was put on lockdown until 1 a.m. Captain Robert Clark, commanding officer of the naval station, said he is not ready to divulge how the suspect got the handgun and that the matter is under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and U.S. Navy security officials, NBC News reported.
"We are investigating it, it's a crime scene as we speak," Clark said. "We will preserve the scene until investigation is complete."
Clark said it will be a "trying day" for the sailors on the ship.
"Will make sure sailors aboard ship have the counselors they need and the people they can talk to," Clark said, NBC News reported.
Civilians visiting the base must have a pass or an escort. All of the base's 13 piers are guarded by security, as well as each entrance. Handheld ID scanners were also issued this year at Navy bases in the region, Norfolk included, NBC News reported.
The Norfolk base has over 6,000 acres, with nearly 46,000 military officials, and another 21,000 civilian government employees and contractors, according to NBC News.
Monday's shooting comes six months after a gunman open fired and killed 12 civilian workers at the Washington Navy Yard, WVEC-TV reported. The gunman, a former Navy reservist, was killed.
