Fort Lee VA Shooting: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

An all-clear has been declared at Fort Lee in Virginia after the U.S. Army base was placed on lockdown this morning amid reports of an active shooter. Just after 10 a.m., the base was given the all-clear.

Here’s what you need to know:


1. One Person Has Been Wounded

According to the Fort Lee Facebook page:

An active shooter incident has been reported on Fort Lee at CASCOM HQ, Bldg. 5020. All personnel should enact active shooter protocols immediately. The installation is being locked down until further notice. More info to follow.

WINA confirmed that shots were fired. Shane Woodfoord of CKNW980 tweeted that one person had been wounded in the shooting. The Pentagon later said in a statement that nobody else was hurt in the shooting.


2. The Suspect Has Been Described as a ‘Disgruntled Female Soldier’

Fort Lee Shooting Building

The welcome center at Fort Lee. (Google Street View)

According to Fox News, the shooter was a woman who was “disgruntled.” She is a soldier who attempted suicide.

CASCOM headquarters remains on lockdown.

Fort Lee updated its Facebook page with this message:

An all clear has been issued by the Fort Lee installation operations center at 9:50 a.m. The law enforcement event is over.


3. Fort Lee Got a New Commander Last Week

New Fort Lee Commander Stephen Lyons

Fort Lee’s new commander Stephen Lyons. (Facebook)

On Friday, August 22, Major General Stephen Lyons was named the new commanding general of Fort Lee, according to the Army’s website.


4. The Base Had Just Enacted a New Emergency System

According to WBBT, the base had just rolled out “Fort Lee Alert.” This was new system designed to notify those on the base of danger. The Fort Lee Traveler newspaper reported on August 21 that the new alert would “greatly increase the installation’s ability to disseminate important and, possibly, life-saving information.” The official name for the project is AtHoc IWSAlerts.


5. CASCOM Is an Army Think Tank & Training Center

The Combined Armed Support Command is based at Fort Lee, and the building involved in the shooting is the CASCOM headquarters.

CASCOM trains 180,00 military students per year across 541 courses.

Watch a video about CASCOM and its mission above.

fort lee shooting, fort lee lockdown

The base is home to some 34,000 people. It’s located 30 miles south of Richmond and 180 miles from Washington, D.C. In 2001, it was incorrectly reported that missing person Chandra Levy was buried near one of the bases parking lots.

RG Griffin III Fort Lee Facebook

Redskins QB RG III paid a visit to Fort Lee on August 8. (Facebook)