Several people have been injured at the historic Pearl Harbor military base when a gunman opened fire late on Wednesday. The local media said the suspect took his own life after injuring an unspecified number of people. The attack happened at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, near Honolulu.
More than 66,000 personnel of the US military are stationed at the Air Force and Navy units in Pearl Harbor. "Standby for further information regarding the active shooter incident," security officials at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam tweeted. While CNN said at least one patient was taken to Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, the Hawaii News Now said at least three were injured.
Gunman in military uniform shot himself in the head
Witnesses said the shooting took place at Drydock 2 of the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. The mayhem unfolded at approximately 2.30pm local time. The Hawaii News Now, an NBC affiliate, cited a witness as saying that he heard gunshots while sitting at his workstation. The witness saw three victims falling to the ground. The witness also said the gunman, who appeared to be in army fatigues, then shot himself in the head.
78th anniversary of Pearl Harbor attack
The shooting happened just days ahead of the 78th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States entered World War II after the Japanese air forces bombed and destroyed the naval fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor in December 1941. More than 2,400 people died in the surprise attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7.
100 witnesses being interviewed
According to updates, one of the injured was in extremely critical condition and was being treated at the Tripler Army Medical Center. Local authorities said as many as 100 eye-witnesses are being questioned to ascertain the vicissitudes of the crime, news agency IANS reported.
Meanwhile, Hawaii Governor David Ige expressed grief over the shooting. "I join in solidarity with the people of Hawaii as we express our heartbreak over this tragedy and concern for those affected by the shooting," Ige said in a statement.
(This is a developing story)
