Aaron Alexis at The Navy Yard 2013

When a shooter attacks inside a secure area, it's almost the same as having a barricaded situation. Responding local police, if they can't gain access, can't take any effective action. Such locations are, ironically, SAFER for the shooter.

Joshua Borelli

Feb. 20, 2018

One of the last things we ever expect is a mass shooting attack on or in a secure military complex. Further, with the background investigations that are done for security clearances, which most of us assume are held by everyone who works in a secure complex, you’d think that anything “out of sorts” would be discovered and the person wouldn’t have the clearance or access.

On the morning of September 16^th, 2013, the nation was fairly shocked when a shooter gained authorized access to the Washington Navy Yard and began a shooting spree. Aaron Alexis, 34 years old at the time, used a valid entry pass to gain access to the Navy Yard at approximately 7:55 that morning. Once on the property he went to Building 197 apparently carrying his preferred weapon, a sawed off shotgun, disassembled and in a shoulder bag.

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The remainder of this article is part of the book "Active Killers and the Crimes They Perpetrated," available in print or ebook via Amazon.

About the Author

Joshua Borelli

Joshua Borelli has been studying active shooter and mass attack events over the course of the past several years, commensurate with receiving training on response and recovery to natural disasters and civil disturbances. Joshua started to outline this series of articles in an attempt to identify commonalities and logistical needs patterns for response.