Air Force ends lock down after report of armed gunman on base
U.S. Air Force officials called off their response late Friday afternoon at a Tucson, Arizona, base after reports that an armed man had entered an office building, the U.S. military branch said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, a U.S. military official told CNN that a gunman was believed to be holed up in a building at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.This precipitated the Air Force to call for a lock-down — which began at 10:30 a.m. — “following the unconfirmed sighting of” such a man.
No shots were ever fired and law enforcement teams are on site, said the official, who had direct knowledge of the situation from conversations with base officials but did not want to be identified.
In fact, at 6 p.m., Col. John Cherrey — who commands the Air Force’s 355th Fighter Wing — told reporters that no gunman or weapon was ever found. He added that the building, where the gunman was once thought to have entered, has been secured after authorities went through it room-by-room.
The announcement came about two hours after the Air Force stated that its officials had “terminated” their response to the incident. All base personnel were leaving via a “controlled release.”
“With the help of the Tucson emergency services communities, Airmen were successful in maintaining the safety and security of the Desert Lightning Team,” the Air Force said, alluding to the name used for Air Force personnel based in the arid southern Arizona locale…