Two Chattanooga military sites were attacked Thursday, resulting in the deaths of five people, including four Marines, according to the U.S. Navy.
The suspected killer, Muhammad Abdulaziz, 24, was killed in a firefight with police at the second site. Armed police were dispatched to Abdulaziz’ last known address in nearby Hixson, the BBC reports.
Three other people were injured in the attacks. One, a Marine recruiter, was released from a local hospital, while the remaining two are still under medical observation as of this writing.
“Today was a nightmare for the city of Chattanooga,” said Andy Berke, mayor of Chattanooga. “We had someone viciously attack, at two different locations, people who proudly serve our country.”
Police have yet to determine the nature of the attack, as well as whether to classify it as a terrorist attack. District attorney Bill Killian told reporters that the case is being treated as an “act of domestic terrorism,” according to CNN.
“We are looking at every possible avenue – whether it was terrorism, whether it was domestic, international – or whether it was a simple criminal act,” said FBI special agent Ed Reinhold.
Witnesses reported the shooter opening fire at the front of a military recruiting center in a strip mall at approximately 10:45 a.m. Eastern time. The shooter then fled the scene, pursued by police, toward a Navy-owned operational support center, where the four Marines were killed, according to Reinhold.
President Obama, who was briefed on the incident, said Thursday afternoon that the FBI will take the lead in investigating the shootings.
The Pacer will continue to update this ongoing story as more information becomes available.
