Fort Lee gunman shot self; no other injuries reported

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Monday, August 25, 2014
Fort Lee is seen in this image provided by Google Earth.
Fort Lee is seen in this image provided by Google Earth.
KABC-KABC

FORT LEE, Va. (KABC) -- A female soldier barricaded herself in an office at Fort Lee Army base in central Virginia, and then shot herself in the head as officials tried to negotiate with her.

Army officials say they received a report of a soldier with a gun inside the Army's Combined Arms Support Command on the third floor. The base was placed on lockdown, with personnel being told to enact active shooter protocols.

"Early reports indicate the Soldier turned the weapon on herself and fired one shot, injuring herself," officials said in a statement posted on the base Facebook page.

According to Pentagon spokeswoman Alayne Conway, the shooter did not wound anyone. The suspect was taken to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, where she later died.

"This situation could've been worse," said Maj. Gen. Stephen R. Lyons.

The four-story building involved in the incident remained closed after the all-clear.

The soldier's name has not been released, but Lyons said she was a sergeant 1st class who was been in the Army for 14 years and at Fort Lee for three. He also said her gun was not a service weapon.

The base is about 25 miles south of Richmond, Virginia, and about 130 miles from Washington.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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