Congressman Turner calls for briefing on what caused Wright-Patt shooter scare

U.S. Rep. Mike Turner wants to know what caused the false alarm active shooter situation that took place at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on Thursday.

Turner said he has asked Wright-Patt installation commander Col. Thomas Sherman for a briefing to learn what led to Thursday’s false alarm, an assessment of the response and what lessons can be learned from the incident, according to a release.

» RELATED: Wright-Patt: No active shooter found; what we know

“As a community we had a presumed actual incident. We are now in a position to accurately evaluate our community’s and Wright-Patt’s response to determine lessons learned and ways to enhance our overall security response,” Turner said.

Someone from inside Wright-Patterson Medical Center called 911 around 12:40 p.m. Thursday.

It’s unclear what the 911 caller reported but the call went to the base’s operation center and prompted Wright-Patt’s security forces and fire department to respond. In response to the call, Wright-Patt security forces began a systematic sweep and clear of the entire hospital facility, Sherman said during a Thursday press conference.

» RELATED: Wright-Patt hospital: What we know about the base medical center

Local, state and federal law enforcement including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to the incident.

“Our local first responders were tremendous yesterday,” Turner said. “They were on the scene immediately to assist when they were called. However, there are still a lot questions left unanswered and I would like to know how this happened and how we can better respond in the future. I look forward to Col. Sherman being able to brief me and the local responders who have mutual aid agreements with the base.”

Turner also addressed security personnel discharging a weapon in an attempt to breach a locked door.

» REALTED: Woman claims her photo shows damage from gunfire during Wright-Patt active shooter response

“That obviously sounds highly unusual and highly questionable as to how that could have even occurred. I’m certain that that’s part of the information that everyone wants to hear,” he said. “...I think it is absolutely going to be part of the discussion as to how an exercise can devolve into something that could have been threatening to many people.”

Turner did not have any specific details on the discharge and did not address a woman’s social media post depicting what she claimed was damage from bullets fired in the medical center.

Col. Tom Sherman, Wright-Patt installation commander, said that the discharge is under investigation.

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