Wright-Patt creates group to investigate active shooter scare

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is creating a formal board to review the Aug. 2 active shooter scare that occurred at the base’s hospital.

Col. Tom Sherman, 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander, ordered the board to conduct a “holistic review” of the scare, the response to it and lessons that can be learned from it, base spokeswoman Marie Vanover said.

William Neitzke, the 88th Air Base Wing’s chief of safety will lead the board’s probe which does not have a set completion date. An executive summary of the board’s findings will be released at the conclusion of the investigation, according to the base.

“I am directing this review board to examine all facets of this incident,” Sherman said in a statement. “Standing up the Incident Review Board to review the action taken from the moment of the initial 911 call until the confirmation of an all clear will help enhance Wright-Patterson’s emergency response procedures and strategies.”

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

But, there is one facet the board will not look into as part of its inquiry.

An investigation into the discharge of a firearm to breach a locked door during the incident will be conducted solely by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, according to a base press release. A spokeswoman for the office declined to comment while the investigation is ongoing and said no updates were available.

Explaining why it will not release details on what led to the shooter scare, a spokeswoman for the Air Force office said in an email, “The legal process, as in justice actions, results from the investigation. Therefore, a precise timeline for concluding this investigation cannot be given yet.”

Base officials also announced Monday that Sherman will brief U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, on the Aug. 2 incident.

The briefing will take place Wednesday and include representatives from area law enforcement that responded to the incident, said Vanover. Local, state and federal law enforcement including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the Aug. 2 shooter scare.

In a letter on Aug. 3, Turner asked Sherman for a briefing to learn what led to the scare, an assessment of the response and what lessons can be learned from the incident, according to a release.

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

911 calls prompted police response

Someone from inside Wright-Patterson Medical Center called 911 around 12:40 p.m. on Aug. 2.

It’s unclear what the initial 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. Base officials said they would not release the call until the investigation has concluded.

In response to the 911 call, Wright-Patt security forces began a systematic sweep and clear of the entire hospital facility, Sherman said during a press conference.

During the sweep, security forces discharged a weapon in an attempt to breach a locked door, Sherman has said. Turner called the use of a firearm during the sweep “highly unusual and highly questionable” and said it would “absolutely” be part of ongoing discussions about the incident.

On Aug. 3, the Dayton Daily News published photos from a woman who said she was inside the Medical Center during the incident. The woman’s photos show what appear to be bullet-sized holes in a wall next to a door.

“Make no mistake, these were real bullets that tore through the wall where we were hiding. That was real drywall we felt flying through the air. That was real terror that we felt,” the woman said on Facebook.

Another photo obtained from the Dayton Daily News appears to show a damaged printer with the Air Force logo on it in the same room that had bullet-sized holes in the wall. Base officials said they could not verify the photos until after an investigation is completed.

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