U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Austin Bonn, of the 119th Security Forces Squadron, conducts a search of simulated gate-runner, Airman 1st Class Lucas Hofer, of the 119th Communications Flight. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by David H. Lipp)
The FBI says it’s investigating a Friday shooting after an airman at Shaw Air Force Base shot a man who “illegally gained access” to the base.
The airman, who is assigned to the 20th Security Forces Squadron, shot the man at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Shaw Air Force Base said in a statement Friday. In a follow-up email, a spokesperson said “the individual drove through the security checkpoint onto the installation, failing to adhere to commands of security personnel at the Main Gate.”
“Our security forces personnel are trained to respond to a variety of situations to ensure the safety of our personnel and assets,” Col. Kristoffer Smith, 20th Fighter Wing commander, said in the Friday statement posted on the Shaw Air Force Base’s website.
The name of the wounded man was not released in statement provided by the base or the FBI Columbia field office, nor did the statements say whether the person will face charges.
The FBI said Saturday the man “gained access” to the base with a prohibited weapon. In response to an email query about where the shooting occurred, an FBI spokesman said the shooting occurred on base.
The Air Force base said Friday the man was transported to a nearby medical facility to get treatment. The FBI said the man remains in a Columbia-area hospital with injuries, but he is expected to recover and there were no other injuries.
“There is no indication that this isolated incident is related to terrorism or any other violent extremism, and there is no threat to the general public,” according to the FBI, which is investigating the shooting with support from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
The FBI said Saturday that “as the investigation remains active, additional details cannot be provided at this time.”
Shaw Air Force Base, home to 8,200 active-duty military members and 1,200 civilian employees, is in Sumter.
Source: americanmilitarynews.com
