UPDATE: Lockdown Lifted at Pentagon Following Shooting Outside Building, Officer Is Confirmed Dead

August 3, 2021Joshua Skovlund

An outside view at the Pentagon showing police locking down intersections not long after the shooting Tuesday morning. Screenshot from live coverage on YouTube.

The Pentagon was on lockdown just before noon Tuesday following a shooting “incident” at the transit center just outside the building, according to a tweet from the PFPA. The Arlington Fire and EMS service confirmed it had multiple patients via Twitter.

The Associated Press reported that its reporters working at the sprawling facility heard multiple gunshots and police shouting “shooter.” The identity and condition of the person involved has not been announced.

#Update – Scene is still active, ACFD did encounter multiple patients. NFI on patient status will be provided.

— Arlington Fire & EMS (@ArlingtonVaFD) August 3, 2021

Used by thousands of Pentagon workers every day, the transit center is only steps away from the Pentagon. The Pentagon Force Protection Agency is urging people to stay clear of the area.

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the US Department of Defense and is often called “the largest office building in the world.” Approximately 25,000 workers — most members of the military — work in the building daily.

This incident is breaking news, and more information is forthcoming. The Pentagon Force Protection Agency did not respond to requests for further information at the time of publication.

UPDATE, 1:35 p.m. EST: The lockdown has been lifted according to a tweet from the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, though two corridors remain closed due to an active crime scene investigation ongoing.

The Pentagon has lifted the lock down and has reopened. Corridor 2 and the Metro entrance remains closed. Corridor 3 is open for pedestrian traffic.

— Pentagon Force Protection Agency (Official) (@PFPAOfficial) August 3, 2021

UPDATE, 3:25 p.m. EST: The Pentagon Force Protection Agency Chief Woodrow “Woody” Kusse gave preliminary information during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Just hours after the attack, Kusse confirmed that a PFPA officer was attacked by another person at the transit center just feet away from the Pentagon. The attack took place at approximately 10:37 a.m. Tuesday, Kusse said. Multiple reporters asked Kusse to confirm whether the officer died, but he would not provide any further details about the attack or how many were injured. However, multiple news agencies are reporting the officer and suspected shooter as dead.

UPDATE, 7:17 p.m. EST: The Pentagon Force Protection Agency has confirmed that one of its officers was killed during the attack Tuesday morning outside of the Pentagon.

Joshua Skovlund

Joshua Skovlund is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die. He covered the 75th anniversary of D-Day in France, multinational military exercises in Germany, and civil unrest during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis. Born and raised in small-town South Dakota, he grew up playing football and soccer before serving as a forward observer in the US Army. After leaving the service, he worked as a personal trainer while earning his paramedic license. After five years as in paramedicine, he transitioned to a career in multimedia journalism. Joshua is married with two children.