Washington Navy Yard shooting On September 16 , 2013 , Aaron Alexis , a lone gunman armed initially with a shotgun , fatally shot twelve people and injured three others in a mass shooting at the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command ( NAVSEA ) inside the Washington Navy Yard in Southeast Washington , D . C . The attack began around 8 : 20 a . m . EDT in Building 197 . Alexis was killed by police around 9 : 20 a . m . EDT . It was the second - deadliest mass murder on a U . S . military base after the Fort Hood shooting in November 2009 . Details . Prior to the shooting . Aaron Alexis , the perpetrator , arrived in the Washington , D . C . , area on or around August 25 , 2013 , and stayed at various hotels . At the time of the massacre , he had been staying at a Residence Inn hotel in southwest Washington since September 7 . He was working for a subcontractor on a Hewlett - Packard Enterprise Services contract and staying with five other civilian contractors . On Saturday , September 14 , two days before the massacre , Alexis visited the Sharpshooters Small Arms Range in Lorton , Virginia , south of Washington . He tested out an AR - 15 semiautomatic rifle but did not seek to buy it , a lawyer for the store said . After testing the rifle , Alexis inquired about buying a handgun at the store , but was told federal law does not allow dealers to sell such guns directly to out - of - state customers . Alexis instead purchased a Remington 870 Express Tactical 12 - gauge shotgun and two boxes of shells , after passing a state and federal background check . Shooting . On September 16 , Alexis arrived at the Navy Yard in a rental Toyota Prius at around 7 : 53 a . m . , using a valid pass to enter the Yard . He entered Building 197 at 8 : 08 a . m . carrying the disassembled shotgun ( the barrel and stock of which had been sawed off ) in a bag on his shoulder . He assembled the shotgun inside a bathroom on the fourth floor , then emerged with the gun , crossed a hallway into the building ' s 4 West area , and began shooting at 8 : 16 a . m . Many of the people shot on the fourth floor were shot in the head at close range . After firing shots for four minutes , he then continued firing on the third floor and the lobby . A NAVSEA employee described encountering a gunman wearing all - blue clothing in a third - floor hallway , saying , " He just turned and started firing . " One man in an alleyway was hit by a " stray bullet " . At some point , Alexis shot and killed a security officer and took the officer ' s Beretta 9mm semiautomatic pistol , using it after running out of ammunition for his shotgun . At 8 : 17 a . m . , the first calls to 9 - 1 - 1 were made . D . C . police and several other law enforcement agencies responded immediately , with the first police units entering the building seven minutes after receiving the call . Alexis opened fire on police , hitting an officer , Scott Williams , in the leg . At 8 : 57 a . m . , he went to the third floor , where he engaged law enforcement personnel in a gunfight that lasted for more than 30 minutes . Alexis was fatally shot in the head at 9 : 25 a . m . by a United States Park Police officer on the third floor . His death was confirmed at 11 : 50 a . m . Victims . There were 13 fatalities . The suspect and 11 of the victims were killed at the scene , while a 12th victim who was shot in the head , 61 - year - old Vishnu Pandit , died at George Washington University Hospital . All the victims killed were civilian employees or contractors . Eight others were injured , three of them from gunfire . The survivors wounded by gunshots ( police officer Scott Williams and two female civilians ) were in critical condition at Washington Hospital Center . Perpetrator . Aaron Alexis ( May 9 , 1979September 16 , 2013 ) , a 34 - year - old civilian contractor , was identified by police as the sole gunman . Alexis was killed in a gunfight with police . Born in the New York City borough of Queens , Alexis grew up in Brooklyn and was a resident of Fort Worth , Texas . He joined the United States Navy in 2007 , and served in Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 46 at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth . His rating was aviation electrician ' s mate and he had attained the rank of petty officer third class when he was honorably discharged from the Navy on January 31 , 2011 , although the Navy originally intended for him to receive a general discharge . According to a Navy official , Alexis was cited on at least eight occasions for misconduct . In 2010 , he was arrested in Fort Worth for discharging a weapon within city limits . Alexis was also arrested in 2004 in Seattle , Washington , for malicious mischief , after shooting out the tires of another man ' s vehicle in what he later described as the result of an anger - fueled " blackout " ; and in 2008 in DeKalb County , Georgia , for disorderly conduct . None of Alexis ' arrests led to prosecution . From September 2012 to January 2013 , Alexis worked in Japan , " refreshing computer systems " on the Navy Marine Corps Intranet network for an HP Enterprise Services subcontracting company called The Experts . After returning from Japan , he expressed frustration to a former roommate that he felt he hadn ' t been paid properly for the work he performed . Another roommate of Alexis said that he would frequently complain about being the victim of discrimination . In July 2013 , he resumed working for The Experts in the United States . At the time of his death , Alexis was working online on a bachelor ' s degree in aeronautics from Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University . He considered himself a Buddhist . Alexis appeared to be suffering from some sort of mental illness . He had filed a police report in Rhode Island on August 2 , 2013 , in which he claimed to be the victim of harassment and that he was hearing voices in his head . According to an FBI official , Alexis was under " the delusional belief that he was being controlled or influenced by extremely low frequency electromagnetic waves " . After the incident in Rhode Island , Alexis was prescribed Trazodone , a generic antidepressant that is widely prescribed for insomnia . Roughly two weeks later he sought treatment for insomnia in the emergency rooms of two Veterans Affairs hospitals , where he told doctors he was not depressed and was not thinking of harming others . He was again given Trazadone , which he had sought a refill of on the second visit . On September 23 , it was revealed that in order to obtain the security clearance card he used to enter the Navy Yard Alexis had answered " No " when asked whether he had ever been charged with a felony , and whether he had been arrested by law enforcement officials in the previous seven years . A federal personnel report also failed to mention his 2004 arrest . Aftermath . Reports of other shooters . On the day of the shooting , Washington Chief of Police Cathy L . Lanier initially said that police were searching for a white male wearing khaki military fatigues and a beret , who had allegedly been seen with a handgun , and a black male wearing olive military fatigues and carrying a long gun . The white male was later identified and deemed not to be a suspect . The black male was not identified . At 7 : 00 p . m . , officials ruled out the possibility of other shooters besides Alexis , but were still seeking one person for possible involvement . Security precautions . On September 16 , many roadways and bridges were temporarily closed , and flights out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were temporarily suspended . Eight schools were locked down . Shortly after 3 : 00 p . m . , United States Senate buildings went on lock - down for about an hour " out of an abundance of caution " , according to the Senate Sergeant at Arms . The Washington Nationals baseball team postponed their scheduled evening game , owing to the proximity of Nationals Park to the Navy Yard area . The Navy Yard reopened and resumed usual operations on Thursday , September 19 . Building 197 will remain closed indefinitely . Reactions . United States President Barack Obama pledged to ensure the perpetrators would be held responsible . On the day of the shooting , Obama ordered flags flown at half - staff until sunset on September 20 at the White House , all public buildings and all military and naval posts , stations and vessels . On September 17 , Department of Defense officials laid a wreath at the Navy Memorial plaza in honor of the victims . President Obama attended a September 22 memorial service for the victims , where he urged people to consider that " there is nothing routine about this tragedy . " The shooting sparked a discussion on the adequacy of security at U . S . military facilities . On September 18 , Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered a review of security procedures at military facilities around the world . " Foreign Policy " magazine reported that virtually anyone with a Common Access Card ( C . A . C . ) , provided to government contractors , civilian Defense Department employees , and soldiers , can enter many military facilities " without being patted down or made to go through a metal detector " . Aaron Alexis had a " Secret " - level security clearance and a C . A . C . allowing him to enter the Navy Yard . Conservative commentators including Alex Jones , Ted Nugent , and others suggested that " gun - free zones " on military bases were to blame for the massacre . On NBC ' s Meet the Press , National Rifle Association leader Wayne LaPierre said , " when the good guys with guns got there , it stopped . " In the libertarian Reason magazine , J . D . Tuccille said that on domestic U . S . military bases , most soldiers are prohibited from carrying guns , and that this made the base more vulnerable to an attack . On September 17 , gun control activists and relatives of victims of shootings that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School , Aurora , Colorado , and the Oak Creek , Wisconsin Sikh temple , came to Washington to protest for stricter gun control . The activists said they hoped that the Navy Yard attack ' s proximity to Capitol Hill would motivate lawmakers to act to impose stricter background checks and close the gun show loophole . On September 25 , 2013 , Hewlett Packard fired the computer firm " The Experts " that employed Aaron Alexis over " its failure to respond appropriately " to the Washington Navy Yard shooter ' s mental health issues .