At least 12 killed in shooting rampage at Washington Navy Yard, chief says

Fort Worth Police Dept.

Aaron Alexis

By Jim Miklaszewski, Pete Williams, Richard Esposito and Erin McClam, NBC News

A former naval petty officer packing an assault rifle and two other guns sprayed an office building with bullets at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, killing 12 people in a rampage that paralyzed part of the nation’s capital, authorities said. It was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School last year.

Authorities said that the gunman, a civilian contractor identified as Aaron Alexis, 34, was killed after exchanging fire with officers who stormed the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command in a massive law enforcement response.

Mayor Vincent Gray said there was no information on a motive. Authorities said Alexis might have used someone else’s identification to get into the office building. At least four people were wounded, but some reports placed the number as high as 16.

“There is no question he would have kept shooting,” Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.

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