navy officials say at least six are dead in the navy yard shooting. we caution our viewers that the numbers are invariably unreliable early on. you know, it's very sketchy information initially. the associated press reporting that according to the navy. at least six people are dead in the navy yard shooting. we have no count on the number of survivors. we saw helicopters coming down on top of a building and retrieving survivors, people we hoped had survived and were are. now we have confirmation from the navy that six are dead but that number could change. >> the spot where i'm standing right now, about 150 yards away from the front gate as we're watching now to white s.u.v.'s with sirens on leaving, the first leaving rather quickly. it looks like there are three. i'm about 1 1/2 miles exactly from the u.s. capitol rotunda and as this situation unfolds, and again, from where we are, we have not heard the audible all clear from the vehicle that warned people about an hour and a half ago to stay put. it's all about 1 1/2 miles way from the rotunda just

the workers andn't navy yard -- workers in the navy yard panicked.rom the eyewitnesses. coming up in our special report. how could this happen in a military facility. former homeland security secretary, michael chertoff and other experts as well. # . >> workers inside the washington navy yard, heard the sound of gunfire. then came the confusion, the race for cover. and we will hear more dramatic first person accounts. eyewitnesses are standing by. when our "special report" continues. what's your function? ♪ ♪ hooking up the country helping business run ♪ ♪ trains! they haul everything, safely and on time. ♪ tracks! they connect the factories built along the lines. and that means jobs, lots of people, making lots and lots of things. let's get your business rolling now, everybody sing. ♪ norfolk southern what's your function? ♪ ♪ helping this big country move ahead as one ♪ ♪ norfolk southern how's that function? ♪ i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little whi

navy yard. it is generally not open to the area. there are things for people to see and enjoy but they have to pass through a guard checkpoint essentially to get onto the washington navy yard and especially to go into this building. you can't just drive there, park your car, get out and wander around. so there's going to be a lot of questions to answer here about how someone did this. and you know, carol, as you say, the reports very, very early on. this is, i'm looking at the clock, this is less than an hour ago tragically that the first shots were fired. the navy is getting the security forces on site as fast as they can and trying to get medical care of course to the people who are wounded. we don't know how many. one navy official told me the initial reports are that several people were injured, and as you show the pictures, again, sad but necessary fact the times here in washington, especially as in so many cities across the country, there is a very fast first responders effort when these c

navy. they are confirming at least one injury so far this morning in this shooting. bill: peter doocy at the scene. what heather reported is a man described as a male with a shotgun was inside the fourth floor building. which building we do not know. it's a sprawling complex and this is what the associated press is bringing us. the report of a shooter inside a military building at the washington navy yard. police responding to shots fired. a spokeswoman for the fbi says there is at least one victim. that was reported 6 minutes before the hour. the u.s. navy reporting on twitter they are looking for a gunman. on the navy yard web site it talks about the navy's oldest shore establishment home to the chief of naval operations and headquarters for the naval historical its wikipedia page also talks about a former shipyard and ordnance plant. it has been confirmed on that fact for this structure. martha: we are looking at this facility at the washington navy yard. we can report to you the active

navy.ing 197 is described as a high-security facility, but interestingly, it also serves as an entrance for visitors who want to access the navy yard. so, if you want to get into other parts of the yard, you have to go through building 197. employees have to show i.d., they have to show their badges and they go through locking turnstyles. visitors have to go through security, and usually, they have to be precleared in order to enter the building. at one of the many law enforcement press conferences today updating the public on the ongoing and fast-moving developments of the story, one of the very first questions from reporters was do you have any idea how the shooter got into the building? how could the shooter access this high-security building at the navy yard? authorities at one of those press conferences, as soon as they were asked that, said they do not know, and it remains one of the many unanswered questions still tonight. joining us now is nbc news national security producer courtne

he left the navy in 2011. the next year, he started working for the experts, a subcontractor on a hewlett-packard contract to refresh equipment used on the navy marine corps intranet network. he entered the navy yard yesterday morning using his official security clearance. >> you have a documented case where this individual misbehaved, the navy knew it, yet still when he got out, he was allowed to get a clearance and people need to be asking the question why. >> reporter: alexis had family in new york but had been estranged from them for many years. >> no one ever mentioned anything about him being aggressive or being this type of way or anything like that. so i can't comment to say that, you know, i knew anything about this. >> reporter: but in texas, where he lived most recently, he was part of a community that revolved around a buddhist temple where he practiced meditation. >> he just had an excitement for life, just getting involved with the thai community, with the temple down the road. >> reporter: alexi

he had access to the navy yard. he could get on there with, and now, you can kind of understand how if he had access to the navy yard how he would not go through closed scrutiny. he would have a card to get on there. >> greta: everyone keeps talking about it tonight this, is sort of gotten under my crawl a little bit. he's quote legitimate access because he had a card to get n he passed a security check but the check apparently done in july. by a contractor whoever did the check didn't pick up the fact he had an incident in texas and incident in see. media has been able to pick up and my guess is putting his name in google or something. the idea he had quote legitimate i'm struggling with that concept. you know, you can get a security check card if you have arrests and you're in the system. >> yeah. that is what is very troubling. the fact about it is that these contractors are not up under scrutiny they should be. you would think after the snow den incident the spy at nsa he would have been put up under more skrut

navy yard. they can walk over. it's not very far away over to washington national park where the major league baseball teams play. they set up special facilities in parking lot b over at washington national park afew bloc few blocks away to reunite with their loved ones. the fact that someone is described as dressed in a black top, black jeans, what does that say, if anything, about a possible motive or whatever? can we begin to draw any initial conclusions? i want to alert our viewers, sometimes these initial conclusions can obviously be very, very wrong. >> i don't think it says much at this point. that could just be someone in casual clothes and they dressed that way if it's an employee or other people that might be on that base. it could be some type of maybe a tactical uniform of some sort. we don't know. again, eyewitness accounts are going to be very uncertain at this point when they are looking down the hallway at someone pointing a gun at them and then that person starts shooting at them. so we don't have

so the navy knew. >> well, somebody at the navy absolutely knew. the police thought it was so significant, because of the implications of having a navy contractor on the base, thinking that he was being followed, hearing voices, that they called up the navy station police officer, who said that he would look into the report, they actually faxed him or sent him the report, and that officer said he would check in to it, and see whether, in fact, he was a contractor, we spoke to -- we tried to reach both the navy, as well as the fbi, but neither of them commented on what, if anything, was ever done with this piece of information. erin? >> this is going to be one of the biggest questions out there. all right, deb feyerick with that breaking news tonight. i want to bring in tim clemente now former fbi counterterrorism expert. you just heard deb reporting that he heard these voices. that the police in rhode island felt that this was significant enough, given that this man was a navy contractor that they wanted to tell the navy base and they did tell the

michael arnold designed ships at the navy yard.an avid pilot who was working on billing his own plane. sylvia frazier, who was 53, was the second youngest of seven children according to the "washington post." she worked at the naval seas systems command on network security. martin bodrog was a naval academy graduate. after two decades in the military he managed the design of ships for the navy. martin bodrog, you can see that smile on his face. he's remembered as a wonderful husband and the father of three daughters. an active community volunteer who taught sunday school. earlier i had the chance to speak with selma nunes. she worked closely with martin at fairfax young life community. i asked her how his family is doing. >> they're in good spirits. be they are lucky enough to have an amazing community both church community -- they've lived in northern virginia for a long time -- neighbors, people are flying in. they are lucky enough to have a lot of people that are surrounding them and just taking care of them. so they're in good

navy?or. he had eight incidents. >> tell us about them. >> subordination, dereliction of duty, failing to show up for work repeatedly on schedule on time. >> that sounds pretty serious to me. >> they're not, they're not grievously serious. i mean, they are offenses for which somebody can be taken to non-judicial punishment which is not a court-martial. it's more of an administrative hearing. and the punishments are farrell mild for those offenses. now he did have quite a few. >> i can understand one or two and you move on. but eight times he was disciplined. and eight times he was allowed to stay in the navy? >> he was. but there was a process that was being proposed to administratively separate him from the navy. that process did not go to completion. >> why? >> we're trying to work that out. >> you should have, obviously. >> there was a proposal that perhaps he should have been administratively discharged with something less than a dison rabl discharge. >> was that like a plea bargain in

navy. he was an active duty reservist. this is slightly unusual situation. but he was an aviation engineer working for the navy when he left in 2011. and then what we understand happened, and we understand this from the secretary of the navy ray mabis. he said he was hired as an information specialist for a contractor, a subcontractor we understand of hewlett packard. in fact, we have just gotten a statement from the corporate spokesman for hewlett-packard, mark thacker writes, quote: we are deeply saddened by today's tragic events at the washington navy yard. our thoughts and sympathies are with all of those affected. aaron alexis was employee of a company called the experts a subcontractor to an h.w. enterprises refreshed equipment used on the navy marine corps internet network. h.p. is cooperating fully with law enforcement as requested. it's not clear how much screening would take place for an information specialist like this to work for a subcontractor of hewlett packard. that's what t

members of our navy family demonstrated true courage at the navy yard last week. it was apparent in the actions of, for example, a navy civilian shipmate who happened to be a former hospital corpsman, as she carried one of her fallen co- workers and performed c.p.r. in an attempt to save his life. or the individual that ensured the safe evacuation of a blind co-worker. these are examples of what defines our navy shipyard. it is ship mates taking care of shipmates. we will remember what happened on monday, and we will grow stronger as an institution maintaining our commitment to build the world's strongest navy. to the families here and to the navy yard shipmates, we mourn with you today. we will stand with you going forward in the difficult times ahead. we will remember your loved ones, and we will be with you. god bless you, our navy, and the united states of america. thank you. >> as a military organization, we have experienced all too often the searing pain of combat losses and honored the main who, in lincoln's words, have sacrificed their lives on the altar o

was it inside the navy yard? or could this be a running shooting situation with the subject as he tries to escape? perhaps it's even unrelated. that's always the challenge as you know when we are trying to report the fast moving situations. you don't want to report something as fact when it's not sourced yet. what we clearly know is this is a traumatic situation. there hundreds or literally thousands of people trying to get out of that area and there the gawkers trying to get into that area. law enforcement and first responders are somewhat in between. this is going to take a while so they can sort this out. realize they still have to deal with one or more victims we are told have been shot and perhaps even a police officer and an armed subject who is carrying two different reports. one says a rifle and another says a shotgun. some type of long gun that the shooter is allegedly carrying. perhaps as used in this situation in the last hour. >> stick with us. thanks very much. i want to go back to jim miklaszewski.

of the navy marine corps team, of the navy marine corps family. and we are family. uniform and civilian, we work together, serve together, overcome together. as a family, we grieve together. together we will assure that they, like those who have gone before them, will be remembered and honored as heroes. because that is what they are. heroes. ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. an ordinary monday became a day of extraordinary horror. but also extraordinary heroism. as law enforcement officers and other first responders ran into danger to aid and protect others, as colleagues and strangers assisted each other away from danger even at the risk of their own lives. we memorialize as heroes those we lost and honor the heroes we have here today. the courage we witnessed on monday did not end with the closing on that awful day. on tuesday, people returned to their work. and by thursday, when much of the navy yard reopened, thousands whose lives had been in real peril three days before would not let fear keep them away. still, we know it w

schools near the navy yard locked down. the senate side of the capitol closed, and air traffic at reagan national airport grounded so it would no interfere with the choppers. >> everybody saying, go. emergency now, exit, go, go, go. >> reporter: before 10:00 a.m., president obama was briefed in the oval office. three hours after the shooting spree began, law enforcement officials confirmed the gunman was shot and killed. president obama lamenting yet another mass shooting. >> these are men and women going to work doing their job protecting all of us. >> reporter: monday's rampage of the navy yard is the deadliest shooting on a military installation in the u.s. since the ft. hood massacre in 2009. that killed 13 and injured 30 others. throughout the afternoon and night, thousands of employees were allowed to leave their offices on the base throughout the night. many spending hours hiding and waiting for the carnage to end. a live picture right now of the u.s. capitol. president obama has ordered flags in half-staff in honor

i will tell you however, the navy tweeted about 90 minutes or so, tweeted to navy personnel to continue sheltering in place as chief lanier at this point was saying we still need to figure out who the two other individuals are. and still over at the capitol building, the senate leadership has been told at the sergeant at arms to shelter in place just as a precaution. this has been as you might imagine a very tense five to six hours now in southeastern d.c. it affected air travel at reagan national airport just about two and a half, three miles behind my cameraman right now. they had to put a ground stop in effect which meant planes couldn't come in and leave. the reason for that was because they had so many tehelicopters looking for a suspect and number two, medevacing out patients. we had so much police activity. they wanted to make sure there wasn't another threat to aviation. reagan airport has been open for several hours and dulles open for business. we're still here in -- in a formal lockdown situation for the schools nearby and for some of the buildings but it does seem they are i

members our navy family demonstrated true courage at the navy yard. in a former hospital corpsman carrying out a fallen co-workers and. ifed cpr in an attempt to save his life. or the individual who insured the safe evacuation of a blind co-worker. these are examples of what defines our navy family. it is shipmates taking care of shipmates. we will remember the fallen and the events of last monday. we will grow stronger as an institution, reinforcing our commitment to maintaining the world's finest navy. to the families here and to our navy yard shipmates we mourn with you today. we will stand with you going forward in the difficult times ahead. we will remember your loved ones and we will be with you. god bless you, our navy, and the united states of america. >> as a military organization we have experienced all too often the pain of combat losses and honor the many who in abraham lincoln's words have sacrificed their lives on the alter of freedom. today we honor 12 patriots who have made the same sacrifice in the service of their nation. this time,

, from the navy's own military police who would have been present at the navy yard. so that's the situation at this main building, building 197, the headquarters of the naval c systems command. an annex way down the river and in the heart of washington. there were reports of shots f e fired in another building, one or two buildings away from this, a much smaller building, and a tactical team responded there. we've been, frankly, trying to resolve all morning long reports that there was more than one gunman, more than one shooter, and we still can't confirm that. the only thing we know is that there was for sure one in this main building who is now dead. whether there is a second one is still being investigated. i think the reason for these conflicting reports is twofold. one, the number of different law enforcement agencies who have been thrown together into this, both federal, state and military, who all have their own little chains of command and are perhaps getting conflicting information, understandable. the second is that we know that the police as they go throu

navy. so how was he able to be hired back as a contractor? that is a special report next. we'll go to the hospital for an update on three of the victims. we are live covering this breaking story and we'll be right back. this store knows he a saturday crowd. ♪ [ male announcer ] the parking lot helps by letting us know who's coming. the carts keep everyone on the right track. the power tools introduce themselves. all the bits and bulbs keep themselves stocked. and the doors even handle the checkout so we can work on that thing that's stuck in the thing. [ female announcer ] today, cisco is connecting the internet of everything. so everyone goes home happy. like carpools... polly wants to know if we can pick her up. yeah, we can make room. yeah. [ male announcer ] ...office space. yes, we're loving this communal seating. it's great. [ male announcer ] the best thing to share? a data plan. at&t mobile share for business. one bucket of data for everyone on the plan, unlimited talk and text on s

says 34-year-old aaron alexis, a former navy reservist, is behind the terror at washington's navy yardwe have an active shooter on the 4th floor. >> 12 people were killed. eight were injured. he died in a gun battle with police. >> we now feel comfortable we have the single and only person responsible for the loss of life. >> this morning, authorities urgently seeking the public's help to find out more. >> we are looking to learn everything we can about the recent movements and contacts and associates. >> in brooklyn, authorities questioned the suspect's family as they searched for a motive. sources tell abc7 news that he had a valid security clearance that allowed access to building 197 where 3,000 military and civilian personnel work. the horror started as the work day began. >> he came around the corner and aimed at us the. >> he hit high. >>the navy yard was on lockdown for sex hours. the horrifying attack was felt across washington. the f.a.a. halted all flight ms. and out of reagan national airport and the suspect had a history of disturbing behavior we have learned. three was ar

navy reserve it. rage issues after 9/11 is what we learned so far from his family and a couple of friend who have spoken out. he was arrested twice for shooting. his roommate says he was a great guy. >> we lived together on three different occasions. i moved out. he was my big brother. he teached me a lot. i admire him. he speak my language. we could talk to each other in thai. so he would hang out with my people. he don't have a lot of american friend. we plan to have a trip back to thailand. he was very excited. martha: his last known address was in texas. >> reporter: you said it, it seems like here we go again. we look back and start looking at the red flags as we dig into these people's past. and it seems like that is the case here. he enlisted in the u.s. navy reserves back in may of 2011. he did his training in illinois but wound up at the naval air station joint reserve base from 2008 to 2011 before receiving a general discharge from the navy in 2011 after what military officials call a patter

. >> gunfire in the washington navy yard. at least 12 people are dead. ♪ >> the nation is reeling after yet another mass shooting. investigators say a gunman walked into building 197 at the navy yard in washington, d.c. and opened fire. at least 12 people were killed. the man who was in the building when a gunman opened fire describes what happened. >> as we were exiting the back door, we noticed him down the hall, he heard shots, and then he aimed his gun at us and fired two or three shots. >> it was a day filled with harrowing sening. hours after the shooting took place, dozens of employees walked out of the facility with their hands above their heads. just after they left a s.w.a.t. team moved in. here is what we know so far, d.c. police say at least 12 people were killed, what if that number is expected to grow. officials say at least four people including a d.c. police officer was wounded three of them critically, and one gunman was killed. investigators were still searching for another possible gunman. tonight's [ techn

navy yard. close to the capital but not very far from the white house at all. the president briefed by some of his top homeland security aids to make sure he was on top of the situation. the white house saying the most important thing for them is to coordinate with local law enforcement officials here but also the federal. the fbi taking the lead in the investigation and the president obviously paid homage to these people who had lost their lives. take a listen. well, the president did have a -- and did say that thoughts and prayers here from the white house were going out to people there and later in the day the white house lowered the flag over the residence to half-staff. they also were planning to have a latin music festival but they cancelled that, obviously in honor of these victims because they didn't want to have any sort of a party or festival here tonight. harris? >> harris: we're taking a live look at one of the flags has been lowered to half half-staff. ed henry thank you very much.

there's a lot of character for the navy yard. it's probably, i would guess, approximately six blocks by eight blocks or so and fully fortified. there's an approximately 10-foot brick wall all the way around the outside guarding it from m street southeast. >> right. if i might, one of the reasons that i want you to brief us on this -- i know that our former fbi agent is listening as well. so that the public understands, you do not walk into this complex. it is a very secure complex, which raises the question, how did gunmen get inside? what was your routine just going into that building each and every morning? >> well, there are two ways to get in. you can either get in by car, via car or via vehicle. there's a pedestrian gate, but there's approximately three to four vehicular gates. if you're going to get on with your car, you have to pass by a security checkpoint. there are -- you know, there's quite often a substantial line of, you know, ten vehicles. they try to move them through as quickly as possible, but they demand to see

but the navy did know about it. he talked to investigators about it when he decided to join the nayy. they decided to forgive it and let him into the navy. they'll be asked questions now. these are officials talking on a source basis to jake tapper. the time frame a lot of questions whether they had lowered the bar recruiting-wise to get people into the military when the unpopularity of the iraq war was going on. >> and in terms of the investigation now, ballistics expert, still on the site. they're literally piecing this together minute by minute. >> they're piecing it together. they say it's a gruesome crime scene. there are shell casings everywhere. there are drawings where the markings where the bodies were. there's blood. what they do know, though, from video surveillance inside they believe the shooter walked in with a bag. he had the shotgun, a pump action shotgun unassembled. went into a fourth floor men's room, came out shotgun ready. that's when the carnage started from the fourth floor looking down at the

that comes from the navy. the washington navy yard is an important installation with sea systems command accounting for a quarter of the navy budget, the top uniformed officer lives here. a lot of activity going on as police and military and security gars try to find the person with the gun and take him or her into custody. we have one confirmed person shot. we will bring you more on the story as it becomes available. >> happening now, more live pictures of the operation upright the capsized "costa concordia" cruise ship is underway right now off the coast of italy. the projects with halted last night when a storm hit the coast and this is a very, very slow and delicate operation. today's project presents massive challenges. the ship could break apart under its own weight or fall back on its side. 32 people died when the "costa concordia" capsized in january of last year. the manslaughter trial of the ship captain resumed later this month. >> a major highway leak in the pacific northwest is open again this mor

. >> the navy family today suffers a large los. >> a gunman attacks the historic washington navy yard. >> you don't think it will happen in your building. >> police have identified the alleged killer but no motive. >> chip veed on the scene. >> bob orr and john miller are on the investigation. in colorado, the largest air evacuation since katrina is lifting victims out of a massive flood. and, anne werner is on the scene. >> and today the united nations called the sarin massacre a war crime. >> david martin has the new investigative report. >> captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> good evening. for the third time in just over a year, we are beginning the broadcast with a deadly mass shooting in this country. this time, the scene was the washington navy yard in the nation's capitol, at least one gugunman opened fired this morng at the naval sea systems command, 13 people were killed, a number of others, including a police officer were wounded. one of the dead is the alleged gunman. he is identified as aaron alexis, a 34-year-old navy reservist

these 12 members of our navy team, our navy family, they were killed in the line of duty. they died in service to our navy, in service just a that the committed to just as any of us in uniform. for that service we honor them. for that service we will never forget them. i salute these american heroes. >> i want to bring in my colleague who is joining us from washington, where she is just outside of the ceremony. if you will, jeanne, give us a preview of what we can expect throughout the hour. >> well, they're expecting 4,000 people to attend the service here to commemorate those 12 individuals who were killed here last monday. there were an array of speakers on the roster to speak. among them secretary of defense, and even joint chief of staff general dempsey will speak. we don't know the substance of president obama's remarks yet, and whether or not he will touch on the issue of gun control. these are things he has come back to in other shooting events in this country. whether he'll raise it here, we certainly don't know. gun control has been bus pushedk in national conver

the navy yard is two blocks from the capitol. senator harry reid said he would like to see new gun support law measuring including one that would keep guns from the mentally ill. >> anything we can do to focus attention on the senseless killings that take place. >> the white house says president obama doesn't accept regular mass shootings as the new normal. >>> meanwhile victims' families want to know why a man with a history of mental illness and violence was able to keep his security clearance. yard in washington. susan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. this picture emerges as the authorities try to put it today. the motive and arrest were apparently not enough to raise red flags about his security clearance and that's what gave him access to this navy yard where he gunned down 12 people. officials say 34-year-old aaron alexis used a valid pass to walk onto the washington navy yard monday. once inside he pulled out a shotgun he recently bought and fired it killing 12 people and injuring three. alexis was wor

they're been budget cuts to the defense department and the navy.r, this isn't the thing you've heard washington talk about. >> the forced budget cuts. >> this is a decision that somebody made, this wasn't something forced on the navy. and that led to this inspector general report says it led to a decrease in security at these facilities and put service members and civilians at risk. >> i read the piece on time.com. alex rogers saying that the government on it says the navy in an attempt to reduce costs let its guard down to risks posed by outside contractors. we know the shooter was a contractor. the thing that jumped out at me in terms of convicted felons. according to this piece, according to the audit shows criminal records, 52 convicted felons received routine unauthorized installation access. that puts a lot of people exposing them. >> exactly. this is a systemic problem that does go to the very top of the navy, probably broader if you expand it just outside the navy there would probably be similar incidents of this. probably not all these con

should the navy have been more aware of that? maybe the navy didn't know?y still did not think that he was unfit for duty, and that's why he got an honorable discharge. it could be because he was not experiencing what we call a schizophrenia but more of this complex ptsd where you have this disassociation where you are in some ways separating yourself from reality, which might give us some indication as to what happened yesterday, though it's going to take many more days to figure out what his state of mind was. i'm hearing reports that he had reached out to the va, that perhaps he was hearing voices. he had some sleep issues. certainly there was some sort of paranoia. then we take a look at this criminal past, aggression, and of course the situation of rage which always rears its ugly head in these sorts of situations. so definitely some real mental health issues with this individu individual. >> dr. jeff gardere, thank you so much for joining us in the "newsroom" today. we appreciate it. >> still to come, the monumental task of righting the costa concordi

navy yard, a shooter opened fire. the navy confirms there is at least one victim. >> the authorities looking as we speak. it's a headquarters for the savy, about 3 thousand work in that building. we'll tell you what's happening as authorities are searching for a shooter out in d.c. [ marco ] i'm a student at devry university. and this is my home team. this is my large lecture hall. this is my professor. and also my coach. this is my booster club. this is the guy who's graduating ready for a great career in technology. [ male announcer ] in 2012, 90% of devry university grads actively seeking employment had careers in their field in 6 months. find your career success in the bay area. learn how at devry.edu. [ daughter ] hi mom. hey honey, the trip's great, very relaxing. are you sure you can't make it? but you come every year! you could be playing bingo right now! woooo! and there's movie night -- you love movies! [ laughs ] sorry honey, can't hear you -- bad connection. love you! [ laughs ] ♪ [ female announcer ] find

he left the navy in 2011. his friends say he traveled the to thailand for about a month recently, that he was a buddhist. but it's clear from his record that he had some sort of anger issue. sean? >> thank you very much. appreciate it. here with more reaction to today's horrible event, two people who know the facility well. retired u.s. naval captain chuck nash, fox news military analyst k.t. mac far land. i guess the question is how is it possible he got in there? >> that's the $64,000 question, sean. if it is an ar-15, that's a rifle. he had multiple weapons. how did he h get on. from the base, how did he get into the building. once in the building, an armed person among 3,000 unarmed people is a pretty easy scenario for the armed person. what they have to do is look at the security cameras, figure out did he drive on base, walk on base. if he walked did h he use his contractor badge to get on base and then use the -- allegedly he used a stolen badge or misappropriated badge to swipe himself into the buildin

he served in the navy. and then he, while he was in the navy he was arrested for an anger-fueled shooting in seattle. still stayed in the navy. finally the navy discharged him for pa pattern of misconduct and he's allowed to work as a contractor. how does that happen? this guy was sent away for a pattern of misconduct. he shouldn't be allowed in. >> first of all, we need to think about these families. they were expecting their loved ones home about this time. so our hearts go out to them. how did they get in? americans need to be vigilant. we live in different times. we learned lessons from ft. hood. that we live in different times. it takes one person to mess it up. americans need to be vigilant. if you siee something you need o say something. and even if he's your friend, don't leave the door open for him. >> when he went in, would he go in through screening for weapons? would it show up you have an ar-15, a glock and another weapon? would you not have to clear through some kind of metal detection if you

he was in the navy. he was kicked out back in 2011 after being arrested on a gun charge in 2010 in ft. worth, texas. we know there are 13 dead including the shooter. there were many, many rounds in building 197. around 8:20 a.m. on the fourth floor shots fired into a lunchroom where victims were shot and many apparently killed. they won't tell us, authorities, what kind of weapons were used, how many rounds fired or the gunman may have had on him when they took him down. the chief of police told us she's convinced there would have been more victims if they hadn't engaged the suspect. there were multiple engagements inside the building. not just from interior building security but from responding d.c. police officers and park police officers. they had active shooter teams in the building. >> i don't know if you know this. jennifer griffin will join us in a few minutes. how do you get kicked out of the navy in 2011 and become a navy contractor thereafter? >> there are a lot of questions that remain to be a

navy reserves. of bad behavior, both on duty and out of uniform. let's bring in cnn's brian todd. brian, his family says he actually -- alexis actually heard voices. what do we know about his mental condition? >> well, that is what family members have told us, wolf, that he heard voices, that some of this was connected to his experience in new york city after 9/11. we also know from our correspondent pamela brown that he visited va hospitals on at least a couple of occasions. those could have been connected to mental health issues. we know, of course, of his arrest record. he had two arrests for gun violations. he was never convicted. one arrest for disorderly conduct. according to our barbara starr, he had eight incidents in the navy of misconduct. you put all this together, and we've been looking into the process of him getting a security clearance. he would have had, according to experts we've interviewed -- and these experts are two attorneys who have helped hundreds of people get government sec

he is a former navy reservist who suffers from ptsd.hist. he is certainly a study in contradictio contradictions. when you talk to everybody who knows him he was gentle kind and never caused any type of problem. >> very quiet family. no noise complaints. nothing like that. never had any problems. no parties, no arguments, nothing. nothing that would make him stand out at all. >> after the list of contradictions he had a history of run ins with the law all involving firearms possession of firearm charges all of the cases were dropped we will quickly tell you that he mentioned his ptsd is what triggered him shooting some of these that case was dropped >> serious study to tell you about linking acetaminophen to increased risk of asthma in children. babies given as seat med fin with tylenol are twice as likely to get asthma. >> the man accused of trying to ex tort 250,000 dollars from paula deen sentenced to two years in prison. back in june during the scandal that rocked his comments you can see contacted her attorney. he claimed he would

don't know the status of that operation as it stands now, but this navy official, a senior navy official in the naval c-system command building relying on reports from his watch team apparently has reported that a dozen shot and four fatalities, chris. >> all right, jim miklaszewski. and as far as you know, we don't have confirmation that the dozen shot includes the suspect? >> reporter: no. as a matter of fact, it sounds as if it doesn't because the latest reports are that the federal and d.c. s.w.a.t. teams have this individual apparently cornered now somewhere in the building. those are the reports we have so far. and it's still not clear whether this individual was military, civilian, whether he was armed with an automatic weapon, a shotgun, but the initial reports now indicate without official confirmation, but this coming from a senior naval official there in the building itself, reporting 12 shot and four fatalities. >> all right. so it sounds as though there is still an active situation inside that naval building. kasie hunt is outside. what do you have for us? >> reporter: sure,

navy. he had been arrested at least three times, two of those incidents is involved guns. yet, he was, after all, honorly discharged from the navy reserves back in 2011 after what the navy described as "a pattern of misconduct." authorities say all 12 of the people killed were civilians or contractors like the shooter. none was military personnel. police just released the names of all of the people killed. they ranged in age from 46 to 73 years old. we're piecing together everything we're learning about the gunman and also seeing quite a contrast. a man who studied languages and meditated and a cold-blooded killer. pamela brown has details on the investigation. >> reporter: law enforcement officials say 34-year-old i.t. subcontractor aaron alexis entered navy yard building 197 legally, but the valid military-issued i.d. and an intent to kill. his motive unknown. >> we're looking to learn everything we can about his recent movements, his contacts and associates. >> reporter: a picture is eme

he was in the navy.e was kicked out back in 2011 after being arrested on a gun charge in 2010 in ft. worth, texas. we know there are 13 dead including the shooter. there were many, many rounds in building 197. around 8:20 a.m. on the fourth floor shots fired into a lunchroom where victims were shot and many apparently killed. they won't tell us, authorities, what kind of weapons were used, how many rounds fired or the gunman may have had on him when they took him down. the chief of police told us she's convinced there would have been more victims if they hadn't engaged the suspect. there were multiple engagements inside the building. not just from interior building security but from responding d.c. police officers and park police officers. they had active shooter teams in the building. >> i don't know if you know this. jennifer griffin will join us in a few minutes. how do you get kicked out of the navy in 2011 and become a navy contractor thereafter? >> there are a lot of questions that remain to be ans

they love their navy.love the fleet -- the fleet they helped build and sustain, most of them dedicated their entire adult lives to building and sustaining our navy ships. as i mourn with the family, i promised them that i would directed the recording of this tragedy, the report was that no service men were killed, just civilians and contractors. and that is flat wrong. these patriots have died and built these ships. they sustained and set the standard for the ships. they connected us with each other and to the fleet and they connected and sustained our head quart earles. these 12 members of our navy team, our navy family, were kill in the line of duty. they died in the service to our nation. the service to our navy. for that service, we honor them. for that service, we will never forget them. i salute these american heroes. good evening, last week's problem at the navy yard were a sad day for the nation, the navy yard, and most importantly those lost and who suffered injuries and was a tragedy for the dist

navy. he had been

navy.> that's nice. >>> law enforcement officials said aaron alexis had been receiving treatment for serious mental illness, and friends in fort worth say he was just about broke. al snyder has more. >> we spoke with a former fort worth roommate and friend of alexis, she showed me this photo that shows him with a wide smile. but before he moved out, he had been upset, complaining the contractor he worked for, wasn't paying him on time or the right amount of money. >> frustrations, yeah, he did. if you are not getting paid on time, anyone would get very frustrated. but not to this point. i still can't imagine that he did this. i still can't imagine that he is gone and he took 12 people with him. >> friends say alexis struggled, was behind on his bills, worked at the restaurant and lived rent free. >> he lived with us for about a year now, this last year, and i never saw anything to be alarmed about or any red flags. he was very peaceful, very friendly, and very willing to help. >> reporter:

navy yard.. eight victims injured including a washington, d.c., police officer. all are expected to survive. >> the shooter gained entry using his security pass, but it's still unclear how he managed to get weapons inside. abc's jim avila begins our coverage. >> reporter: a shooting free-for-all that began even before the suspect wearing black with a tall military bearing marched his way to the navy yard. >> multiple shots fired. multiple people down. >> reporter: at that moment, we all realized this is the real deal. this is serious. let's go. move. everyone said this is no drill. go, go, go. emergency exits now. go, go, go. >> d.c. police say they get their first call of multiple victims down at 8:20 in the morning. by then a security guard on the first floor of building 197 of this massive complex is hits, and the gunman is on the upper floors shooting down from atrium walkways over the open core of the five-story building into a food courtyard below. the shots were randomly aimed and fortuna