PENSACOLA, Fla. — The shooter at the Naval Air Station Pensacola on Friday was a Saudi military member who was in aviation training at the base, but the FBI says it is not ready to release their identity.
Authorities say 12 people were hurt, four of whom died, including the shooter. Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said that two of the 12 injured were deputies who had been the first to respond. He said one deputy was shot in the arm, the other in the knee, and that both are expected to recover.
The FBI’s special agent in charge of the Jacksonville Field Office, Rachel L. Rojas, also said at a press conference Friday night that the bureau would not comment on possible motives.
It was the second shooting at a U.S. Naval base this week, after a sailor opened fire on three civilian employees Wednesday at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing two before taking his own life.
At a press conference Friday morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis revealed that the shooter was a member of the Saudi military who was training at the base. His office later said that the governor had learned about the shooter's identity during briefings with FBI and military officials.
Per usual military policy, the victims' names will not be released until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.
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A U.S. official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity identified the shooter as Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani.
“There are many reports circulating, but the FBI deals only in facts,” Rojas said. “This is still very much an active and ongoing investigation.”
The shooter had opened fire with a handgun in a classroom building, killing three people before he was shot and killed by deputies.
Authorities say they are investigating if the shooting was terrorism-related. The base commander said weapons are not allowed to be carried around on the base.
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that King Salman of Saudi Arabia called and expressed his condolences after the shooting. He echoed the remarks on Twitter as well, tweeting the king said the Saudi people are angered by the shooter's actions and that they do not represent how the country feels about Americans.
"A dark day for a very great place," DeSantis said.
The shooting was reported around 7 a.m. Friday. The base will be closed for the remainder of the day. Members of the public were urged to stay away from the area.
The base is a training center for all branches of the military and employs more than 16,000 military and 74,000 civilian personnel, according to the NAS Pensacola website.
Former governor and current Sen. Rick Scott said he would provide any "assistance and resources necessary" to help victims.