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Reports of gunfire at Walter Reed Military Medical Center a false alarm

By Andrew V. Pestano and Danielle Haynes
Construction at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. File Photo by MilitaryHealth/Flickr
Construction at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. File Photo by MilitaryHealth/Flickr

BETHESDA, Md., July 6 (UPI) -- Police officers found no evidence of shots fired Monday at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center campus in Bethesda, Md., after reports of gunfire.

Montgomery County Police placed the facility on lockdown after the report of a single gunshot and an active gunman.

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There were no injuries and no confirmed shots at the hospital, police said after searching the campus.

"All base personnel are sheltering in place as a result of unconfirmed reports of an active shooter," the Navy said in a statement, earlier in the day. "DOD Security Force, NIH Police Force and County EMS and Medics have responded and searching the area."

Montgomery County Police Capt. Paul Starks confirmed there was a sound similar to gunfire. Employees were alerted of the lockdown via text message.

"This has been going on for almost two hours now. We've been in hiding. We had to basically evacuate all the hallways, turn off all the lights," said a worker who identified himself only as Sam, according to NBC News. "People are getting a little anxious."

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The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center became one of the largest military medical centers in the United States after the National Naval Medical Center and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center joined in 2011.

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