10 a.m. Tuesday (AP) — Law enforcement officials say the Navy contractor identified as the gunman in the deadly shootings at the Washington Navy Yard used a shotgun and two handguns, but not an AR-15 assault rifle, as officials previously said.
Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that an AR-15 was found at the scene. One of them said Tuesday that Alexis did not use that weapon in the shootings. It was not immediately clear whether the rifle belonged to a law enforcement or security officer responding to the gun battle. The official said Tuesday the guns that Alexis used included a shotgun he had purchased and two handguns that he took away from law enforcement officer at the scene.
6:44 a.m. Tuesday (AP) — The Senate is returning to normal operations Tuesday following a shutdown due to the Navy Yard shootings.
Terrence Gainer, the Senate sergeant at arms, had restricted people from leaving or entering Senate buildings for part of the day Monday as authorities were searching for other potential shooters. Late Monday, however, authorities said they believed the gunman operated alone. Thirteen people, including the gunman, died in the shooting at the Navy Yard, about a mile south of the Capitol.
Gainer said that while operations are returning to normal, the U.S. Capitol Police will maintain a high level of security at the Capitol complex.
(AP) — The deadly attack at the Washington Navy Yard was carried out by one of the military’s own: a defense contract employee and former Navy reservist who used a valid pass to get onto the installation and started firing inside a building, killing 12 people before he was slain in a gun battle with police.
The shooting was the deadliest on a military installation in the U.S. since the tragedy at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.
Law enforcement officials say gunman Aaron Alexis carried three weapons at the Navy Yard: an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun and a handgun he took from an officer at the scene.
Investigators say his motive is a mystery.