Operations at Navy Medical Center San Diego returned to normal Tuesday afternoon, hours after an active shooter was reported at the location and subsequent searches found no evidence a shooting ever took place, according to Navy Region Southwest.
An active shooter was reported around 8 a.m. in building No. 26, located at 34800 Bob Wilson Dr., the center said on Facebook.
“All occupants are advised to run, hide or fight,” the post warned, and nonemergency personnel were asked to stay away from the compound.
The incident unfolded after a single witness heard three gunshots inside the basement of the building, which housed a gym and barracks at the center’s Balboa Park facility, Navy Region Southwest stated in a news release.
Within an hour, the childcare facilities were secured, and all children were “accounted for and safe,” Naval Base San Diego said.
There was no evidence of a shooting or any casualties after first responders did an “initial top down inspection of the building,” according to Navy Region Southwest.
The facility remained on lockdown as a secondary, floor-by-floor inspection was conducted, but again nothing was found. Its normal operations were later resumed.
For more information, people were advised to call the Navy Region Southwest’s Public Affairs Office at 619-532-1430.
Three local schools — San Diego High School, Garfield High School and Roosevelt Middle School — were temporarily locked down as a precaution after the initial active shooter report, the San Diego Unified School District tweeted.
“Parents should be reassured that their kids are safe and we are monitoring the situation closely,” Linda Zintz, a spokeswoman for the district, told KTLA sister station KSWB reports.
Parents were asked to stay away from the scene as to not add to the chaotic situation.
All lockdown and shelter-in-place orders were lifted by 9:46 a.m., according to another tweet.
U.S. Marshals assisted at the hospital, the TV station reported, and military police on the base were investigating, the San Diego Fire Department told the Los Angeles Times.
The San Diego Police Department was also made aware of the situation, but both local police and firefighters were not asked to assist.
Navy Medical Center San Diego is located in Balboa Park and about 2 miles from downtown San Diego.
It has a staff of more than 6,500 military and civilian personnel, and aims to provide medical care to military service members, their families, and those who served in the past, according to its website.