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2 Killed in Shooting at US Navy's Naval Station Norfolk

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USS Mahan at Naval Station Norfolk
The USS Mahan, a guided missile destroyer ship, docks pierside at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Va., on June 8, 2011. (Image credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Lolita Lewis)

A shooting late Monday (March 24) at the U.S. Navy's Naval Station Norfolk, the world's largest naval base located in Virginia, left a sailor and a civilian suspect dead. The shooting occurred last night at around 11:20 p.m. EDT aboard the USS Mahan, an active-service naval ship ported at the Naval Station Norfolk's Pier 1, reported USA Today.

A male sailor and a male civilian suspect were killed, military officials said, but no other injuries were reported. Naval Station Norfolk was temporarily put on lockdown, but security teams have since secured the scene, and operations on base — except those at Pier 1 — have resumed, according to USA Today. Navy officials are unsure how a civilian smuggled a weapon on base and gained access to the USS Mahan, but an investigation into the fatal incident is underway.

Last night's shooting comes months after another grim incident on a U.S. military base. In September, a gunman later identified as Aaron Alexis, a former Navy reservist who was then working as an independent contractor, opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard. Twelve people were killed before law enforcement officials shot and killed the lone gunman.

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Denise Chow
Denise Chow
Live Science Contributor

Denise Chow was the assistant managing editor at Live Science before moving to NBC News as a science reporter, where she focuses on general science and climate change. Before joining the Live Science team in 2013, she spent two years as a staff writer for Space.com, writing about rocket launches and covering NASA's final three space shuttle missions. A Canadian transplant, Denise has a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, and a master's degree in journalism from New York University.