Published 10:35 IST, December 5th 2019
Multiple injured in shooting at Hawaii's Pearl Harbor base; IAF chief and team safe
Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and his team who were present at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam with US Navy are safe and unaffected.
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At least three people were injured, two of them critically, when a gunman opened fire at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii before taking his own life, local news reports said on Thursday. A spokesman for the US base said that security forces had responded to reports of a shooting at around 2.30 pm local time on Wednesday and that the base was on lockdown for several hours. later it was revealed that a US sailor shot and wounded three people at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii on Wednesday before taking his own life. A statement issued by the base said the shooting took place at around 2:30 pm, prompting a lockdown of the facility for more than an hour.
Meanwhile, Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and his team were present at the time of shooting incident at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, the US Navy and Air Force Base, in Hawai, USA. All IAF personnel, including the chief, are safe and unaffected by the incident, reported news agency ANI.
One witness told local media he was sitting at his computer when he heard shots fired and saw three victims on the ground. The witness, who did not want to be identified, said he then saw the gunman who was wearing what appeared to be a navy or sailor's uniform shoot himself in the head. Hawaii News Now said several civilians were among the gunshot victims. The shooting reportedly took place near the south entrance to the sprawling base.
"The shooter has been identified as a US Sailor," the base said in a tweet. "The sailor reportedly shot and injured three Department of Defense civilian workers before shooting themself." Officials said the Navy was leading the investigation into the shooting to determine what prompted it.
The shooting took place near the south entrance of the sprawling base located on the southern shore of Oahu. The base hosts both the Navy and Air Force. The incident unfolded three days before the 78th anniversary of the 1941 Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that left 2,403 US service members dead. The worst shooting in Hawaii history took place just over 20 years ago when a Xerox employee killed seven of his colleagues.
10:06 IST, December 5th 2019