MacDill AFB, Fla., resumed normal operations around 9:14 a.m. on Jan. 10 after reports of an active shooter on the base prompted a lockdown about two hours earlier. No suspect was found.
Local authorities tipped off the base to the threat, according to a base Facebook post. No shots were fired on the installation, and no employees were harmed in the situation, the post stated.
“We had a pretty dynamic situation this morning when we had to put the base on lockdown,” explained 6th Air Refueling Wing Commander Col. Stephen Snelson in a video statement posted to Facebook. “We received reports of an armed suspect over in the Tanker Way Gate area. Thankfully, we searched the area and we didn’t find any evidence of an intruder.”
Snelson confirmed the base is now threat-free, and praised the base’s first responders and community for their reaction to the risk. However, he underscored the importance of preparedness for such situations, calling the morning’s chain of events a “terrific reminder for all of us.”
“If you haven’t thought about what your emergency plans will be in such a situation, now is the time to do it—before we have a real threat,” he said.