Live coverage of the Monday morning Naval Yard shooting in Washington ( The live broadcast from Washington has ended)
8 p.m. Defense officials say Aaron Alexis, identified as the gunman who opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard, was a full-time Navy reservist from 2007 to 2011 and worked recently as a Defense Department contractor.
He also prayed at a Buddhist temple, was taking online course in aeronautics and was involved in past shooting incidents which attracted police attention in Seattle and Fort Worth, Texas.
It was not immediately clear why Alexis left the reserves, who his latest employer was, or what his motives might have been for going on a rampage. He was one of 13 people killed during Monday’s shootings.
Police in Seattle say Alexis was arrested there in 2004 for shooting out the tires of another man’s vehicle in what he described to detectives as an anger-fueled “blackout.”
5 p.m. AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama is ordering flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor victims of a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard.
A proclamation Obama signed Monday says flags should be lowered immediately and will remain there until sunset on Friday. The proclamation applies to all public grounds, military posts and naval vessels, plus U.S. embassies and outposts overseas.
Authorities say a former Navy man launched an attack inside a building at the Navy Yard, spraying gunfire on office workers in the cafeteria and in the hallway at the heavily secured installation. Thirteen people were killed, including the gunman.
3 p.m. The Navy says a gunman who opened fire inside a building at the Washington Navy Yard today was a full-time reservist from 2007 to 2011. It’s not clear why 34-year-old Aaron Alexis left the Navy. Alexis had been based at a facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The Navy says his home of record was New York City. A dozen people were shot dead. Alexis was also killed, in a gunbattle.
11:50 a.m. (AP) — President Barack Obama is mourning what he called “yet another mass shooting” in the United States that he says took the life of American patriots.
Obama promised to make sure, quote, “whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible.”
He said several people were shot Monday morning at the Washington Navy Yard about 3 1/2 miles from the White House, and some were killed.
He said the victims were “courageous Americans” who knew about the risks of serving overseas, but wouldn’t have expected such “unimaginable violence” at home.
The White House says the president has been receiving frequent briefings about the unfolding situation by senior aides.
8:55 a.m. (AP) — President Barack Obama is getting frequent briefings on a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard.
The White House says the president had several briefings about the unfolding situation by senior aides.
The Navy says shots were fired Monday morning at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters, where about 3,000 people work. The Navy reports several people were injured. DC Police say as many as 10 people may have been shot.
The White House says Obama directed his team to stay in touch with the Navy, FBI and local officials.