Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base: Suspected Shooter in Custody
An active shooter alert for Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in San Bernardino,
California, was sent out at 6:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
A text message alert was sent out that announced that the MCAGCC was put on lockdown. The text read: “SECURITY ALERT: ENTRANCE TO BASE AND HOSPITAL RESTRICTED DUE TO SECURITY ALERT. PLEASE SHELTER IN PLACE UNTIL NOTIFIED.”
A second text alert said, “Code White. There is an Active Shooter in the A M.C.C. Remain calm. Silence your cell phone. Run, hide, fight. Help is on the way.”
It’s unknown if anyone was injured or if there were any fatalities during the lockdown.
Twentynine Palms MCAGCC is the largest marine corps base in the United States. It is adjacent to the city of Twentynine Palms, which is located in southern San Bernardino County. The Twentynine Palms MCAGCC is about 98 miles from the Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, which is located in Barstow, California.
Local Media Say the Suspected Shooter Is in Custody, but the U.S. Marine Corps Has Yet to Confirm
At around 8 a.m. local time, KESQ morning anchor Angela Chen tweeted that the active shooter situation had ended. “BREAKING: a shooting suspect is now in custody at the Twentynine Palms Marine Base. A base spokesperson confirmed active shooter situation started around 6:30 this morning. Officials are speaking with the suspect now. No word on injuries or victims at this point.”
By 9:30 a.m. Chen reported that the incident was not an active shooter situation. She
tweeted that the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department told her that “Twentynine Palms has told them it’s not an active shooter and are not requesting sheriff’s assistance at this time.”
The U.S. Marines’ official twitter account had also acknowledged the active shooter situation. They tweeted, “We are aware of reports of an active shooter at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center – Twentynine Palms. More to follow.” They followed that up by tweeting, “Military police responded to reports of gunshots at approximately 0630 and cordoned the area. We cannot confirm a suspect in custody at this time. More to follow.”
Users online with family or loved ones who work at MCAGCC shared their fears and worry about the incident on Twitter. One woman
tweeted, “MY BF SAID THERES AN ACTIVE SHOOTER ON BASE IN 29 Palm’s?! UHM HOW @ Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center ??? How.”
