An Army female non-commissioned officer carrying a loaded weapon walked into a command building at Fort Lee, Va., early Monday, and then shot and killed herself, base and Pentagon officials said.
The NCO, whose rank was not immediately given out, was taken to Virginia Commonwealth University medical center where she later died, according to multiple media reports.
There were no other injuries in the incident. The base lifted the lockdown and declared an "all clear" after about 50 minutes, officials said. The type of weapon used by the soldier was not immediately identified.
The Army's Criminal Investigation Command was investigating the incident that began at about 9 a.m. at the base about 25 miles south of Richmond when the female NCO entered a four-story building that is the headquarters of the Army's Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM) – Building 5020, Army and Pentagon officials said.
"Active Shooter Protocols" were issued to base personnel to stay in place as first responders came to the scene on the report of a "female soldier with a gun inside CASCOM," the officials said.
"Early reports indicate the soldier turned the weapon on herself and fired one shot, injuring herself," Fort Lee officials said.
Pentagon officials said there were no immediate indications on what may have been the female soldier's motivation in the incident.
Fort Lee is the third-largest training site in the Army with a daily population of about 34,000, including service members from all branches, their families, civilians and contractors.
CASCOM is a major subordinate command of the Training and Doctrine Command. CASCOM trains more than 150,000 troops annually through courses taught by the Ordnance, Quartermaster and Transportation schools.
-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@monster.com
