FBI investigates Pensacola shooting as first fatal victim identified
The FBI is investigating what caused the Saudi Arabian student to go on a shooting rampage at a US Naval Air Station.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the motive of Pensacola shooter Mohammed al-Shamrani, who reportedly hosted a dinner party to view mass shooting videos the night before his rampage.
Al-Shamrani, who killed three people and injured eight others in a shooting on Friday, and three other Saudi students watched the videos, a US official told the Associated Press (AP).
The gunman did not have any apparent ties to international terrorist groups and appeared to have radicalised on his own, the New York Times reports.
This is according to a senior American official briefed on the investigation but not authorised to speak publicly.
One of those three students, who watched the videos with al-Shamrani, videotaped outside the building where Friday’s shooting unfolded, according to the official, who was not named.
Two others watched from a car, according to the official, who said a total of 10 Saudi students were being held on the Florida base Saturday.
Police are reviewing the attack as a possible act of terrorism.
The news came as the first victim was identified as Joshua Kaleb Watson, who graduated from the US Naval Academy this year.
Kaleb’s brother, Adam Watson, wrote a moving tribute on Facebook, saying Kaleb “saved countless lives today with his own”.
“After being shot multiple times he made it outside and told the first response team where the shooter was and those details were invaluable. He died a hero.
“We are beyond proud but there is a hole in our hearts that can never be filled.”
Kaleb’s father, Benjamin Watson, told the AP he was “an emotional wreck” following the attack and death of his son, who moved to Pensacola two weeks ago for flight training to become a Navy pilot.
“We want my son’s story told,” he said.
“He died serving his country.”
The assault, which is being investigated as terror-related, ended when a sheriff’s deputy killed the gunman.
Those hurt in the attack included the two sheriff’s deputies who were the first to respond, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said.
One of the deputies was shot in the arm and the other in the knee, and both were expected to recover, he said.
The shooter was a Saudi aviator training at the US naval station.
The Pentagon said his training with the US military began in August 2016, and was due to finish in August 2020.
On Friday evening, the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist media, claimed they had tracked a Twitter account belonging to the shooter which featured a disturbing manifesto written just hours before the shooting.
“I’m against evil, and America as a whole has turned into a nation of evil,” it read.
“I’m not against you for just being American, I don’t hate you because your freedoms, I hate you because every day you supporting, funding and committing crimes not only against Muslims but also humanity,” the shooter apparently wrote.
Investigators were working to determine if the tweet was in fact written by the shooter.
The New York Times reported that three of six other Saudi nationals arrested near the scene soon after the attack were seen filming the entire incident as it unfolded.
No officials have yet stated whether any of them were students inside the classroom where the shooting occurred.
Military members from around the globe receive training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, which is the home base of the Navy’s revered Blue Angels aerial demonstration team.
SAUDI KIND SALMAN TELLS TRUMP SHOOTING ‘HEINOUS’
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman telephoned the US president to denounce as “heinous” a fatal shooting at an American naval base allegedly carried out by a Saudi air force trainee, state media said.
“He (the king) affirmed that the perpetrator of this heinous crime does not represent the Saudi people,” the official Saudi Press Agency said, reporting the call with President Donald Trump.
A US official says the Florida Naval station shooting suspect was an aviation student from Saudi Arabia and authorities are investigating if the shooting was terrorism-related.
The shooter opened fire in a classroom building on Friday morning local time about 7:00am at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola in an attack that left four people dead, including the assailant.
The gunfire prompted a massive law enforcement response to the base, which was locked down.
Area hospital representatives told the AP earlier that at least eight people were being taken to hospitals.
#UPDATE: A second victim has been confirmed deceased.
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) December 6, 2019
Five people were taken to Baptist Health Care in Pensacola, hospital spokeswoman Kathy Bowers said.
Six more people were taken to Ascension Sacred Heart, spokesman Mike Burke said.
Neither spokesman had information on their conditions that they could share with the AP.
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In a press conference Sheriff David Morgan said the weapon involved was a hand gun.
Personal weapons are not allowed in the naval base.
Authorities will examine how the foreign national got the hand gun and brought it into a classroom.
The incident unfolded across two floors inside a building in the Naval Air Station Pensacola.
Local news channel WEAR TV reported that sheriff’s deputies at the base fatally shot the shooter within minutes.
According to the New York Post, two deputies from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office confronted the gunman and “negated the threat,” Sheriff David Morgan said at a press conference.
Both deputies were shot — one in the arm and the other in the knee — but are expected to survive.
Officials declined to share other details of the attack, including whether the gunman was a service member and what weapon he used.
They said next-of-kin notifications were still being made.
The base will be closed until further notice.
“We’re a military town. Our hearts and prayers are connected to all those who serve us every day,” said Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson.
“This is a resilient community. We will overcome this.”
NAS Pensacola employs more than 16,000 military and 7400 civilian personnel, according to its website.
One of the Navy’s most historic and storeyed bases, Naval Air Station Pensacola is the training ground for Navy aviators and one of the most highly-regarded military institutions in the world.
It sprawls along the waterfront southwest of downtown Pensacola and dominates the economy of the surrounding area.
.@ECSONews give details on what led to a Tuesday morning shooting that killed a 15-year-old boy. Details: https://t.co/spVVTTVwDa pic.twitter.com/eUvLtyKFex
— WEAR ABC 3 (@weartv) November 20, 2019
It’s home to the Blue Angels flight demonstration team, and includes the National Naval Aviation Museum, a popular regional tourist attraction.
The shooting is the second at a US naval base this week. It comes after Wednesday’s shooting at Pearl Harbor where a US sailor killed workers at the famous Hawaii naval base.
The sailor, whose submarine was docked at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, opened fire on three civilian employees, killing two before taking his own life.
Originally published as FBI investigates Pensacola shooting as first fatal victim identified
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