Army base lockdown lifted after reports of possible shooter

The Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., was locked down Tuesday morning, after reports of an active shooter on the military base surfaced.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center issued an alert about an “emergency situation” near the Sparkman Center, the headquarters for the Army’s Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone.

The arsenal sent an email to employees at 10:31 a.m., notifying them the situation was “a real world event” and not part of a planned active-shooter training exercise.

{mosads}A separate Army email sent to facility personnel and relatives said an active shooter was on the building’s second floor, CNN reported.

“If you are not in the Sparkman Center, stay away from the area,” the 10:08 a.m. CDT email states. “This is an initial report, 911 has been called, more to follow.”

The lockdown was lifted as of about 12:30 p.m. local time, according to Redstone’s Facebook account.

The update from the arsenal said, “employees can move about the post in an orderly fashion,
but are asked to keep movements limited, as needed” and noted that the “incident is under investigation.”    

There are no reports of injuries yet, but CNN reported that an ambulance service and FBI agents had been sent to the facility. 

Redstone is the location of the Defense Department’s Missile Defense Agency, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Army Aviation and Missile Command, Army Materiel Command, and FBI facilities. About 36,000 to 40,000 people work on the base daily.

Updated 2:21 p.m.