Lockdown lifted at US Naval Academy; no credible threat, governor’s office states
Lockdown lifted at US Naval Academy; no credible threat, governor’s office states
Lockdown lifted at US Naval Academy; no credible threat, governor’s office states
A midshipman sheltering in place mistook an officer as a threat and was shot by law enforcement amid an investigation into a threat against the U.S. Naval Academy.
It all started around 5 p.m. Thursday when the academy locked down out of an abundance of caution amid anonymous threats made by a midshipman who was thrown out of the academy, NBC News reported.
The threats were made through social media using an IP address masked to appear as if the sender was on campus, NBC News reported.
In an earlier statement, Naval Support Activity Annapolis said it was in coordination with local law enforcement to respond to reports of threats made to the Naval Academy: “The base is on lockdown out of an abundance of caution. This is a developing situation and we will provide updates as they become available.”
SkyTeam 11 video showed people running into a Naval Academy building with their hands in the air.
Amid a shelter-in-place order and while Naval Security Forces were clearing a building, a midshipman mistook a member of law enforcement as a threat and hit him using a training weapon, NBC News reported. Law enforcement then shot the midshipman, who was flown by Maryland State Police medevac helicopter to a hospital, where he is stable.
Shortly after 6:30 p.m., Gov. Wes Moore’s office sent a statement to 11 News, saying there is no credible threat to the U.S. Naval Academy.
In a statement released just after 9 p.m., a U.S. Navy official said:
Shortly before 10 p.m., U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-District 3, released a statement on X, saying, in part:
BREAKING | @NavalAcademy is on lockdown after reports of threats. We’re keeping you updated on @wbaltv11. https://t.co/9xaUkqQK5Q
Thursday’s investigation at the Naval Academy follows numerous reports of threats at college campuses across the country, including at seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities that closed or were placed on lockdown. In Maryland, Bowie State and Morgan State universities and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore told 11 News they received no threats and are monitoring.
Similar investigations were reported at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Santa Fe Prep in New Mexico, Alabama State University, Bethune-Cookman University in Florida, Southern University in Louisiana, Clark Atlanta University in Georgia, and Virginia State and Hampton universities in Virginia, among others.
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