NSA Shooting - One man was been killed while another was severely injured and taken to a local hospital after a shooting occurred at one of the main gates to the US National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland. An NSA police officer who was injured during the NSA shooting was also taken to the hospital.
The NSA shooting started shortly after 9:00 local time (14:00 GMT) after the two men tried driving their vehicle into the National Security Agency section of the Fort Meade facility, according to the BBC.
NSA officers started firing on the vehicle after the men refused to follow commands, after which charged into a police vehicle that was blocking the road.
In a rare public statement, the NSA said the driver did not obey an NSA police officer's commands to exit the secure area.
According to preliminary information, the two men involved in the NSA shooting were partying at an area hotel with another man when they stole the Ford Escape SUV without permission. However, it remains unclear how or why they ended up at the NSA gate. An unnamed official also told the Associated Press that the men in the car were dressed as women during the NSA shooting.
The two males "attempted an unauthorized entry at a National Security Agency gate," according to the NSA statement.
"The driver failed to obey an NSA Police officer's routine instructions for safely exiting the secure campus," the statement continued. "The vehicle failed to stop and barriers were deployed."
The injured man from the NSA shooting was later identified by law enforcement sources as Kevin Fleming, 20, of Baltimore. Meanwhile, the driver's identity was not disclosed by late Monday, according to the New York Times. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
The stolen vehicle also charged towards an NSA vehicle, smashing into it while police fired, according to the agency's statement regarding the NSA shooting incident in Maryland. However, the statement did not identify any other person other than NSA police who fired a weapon.
The NSA shooting was captured via helicopter and footage recorded of the incident showed two cars with widespread damage in a junction roped off near security gates leading to the NSA campus. Also seen were debris strewn across the intersection.
According to officials, they found cocaine as well as one firearm inside the vehicle, leading them to believe this to be the reason why the driver did not obey orders to stop from N.S.A. officers.
Investigation into the NSA shooting is now being led by the FBI. On Monday, FBI agents were on the scene of the NSA shooting for several hours, interviewing witnesses and the N.S.A.'s police force. A bureau forensic team was also collecting evidence at the scene of the crime.
According to the FBI, they do not believe the NSA shooting incident is in any way related to terrorism, reports Yahoo.
"We do not believe it is related to terrorism," FBI Baltimore spokeswoman Amy Thoreson told the BBC.
The NSA campus had been open to car traffic for decades. However, after the 2001 terrorist attacks, security had been tightened, and access through the agency's gates is now operated by armed guards, and is limited only to employees and pre-cleared visitors.
The agency is the country's largest and most secretive intelligence organization and the Maryland campus is reportedly on permanent alert against intruders.
The NSA shooting on Monday is the second this month. Earlier this month, the FBI also arrested a man after he fired shots, damaging the building from a nearby highway. The two incidents were not found to be linked.
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