Midshipman Shot After Mistaking Security For Active Shooter: Reports

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A midshipman was shot during a lockdown Thursday evening at the U.S. Naval Academy, the congresswoman representing Annapolis confirmed.

Reports of an active shooter on the Annapolis campus, known as the Yard, sent the school into lockdown at 5:07 p.m. There was no active shooter at the Academy, but the incident sparked a wave of misinformation and sent security on a sweep.

U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-District 3) said Friday morning that the midshipman was shot in the shoulder while law enforcement searched every building at the Academy.

A Maryland State Police Aviation command helicopter flew the injured midshipman to the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, Elfreth said. He is expected to make a full recovery.

The New York Times reported that the security concerns started with a post on an anonymous chat platform. The post was traced to the laptop of a midshipman who had left the Academy and was at his parents' house in the Midwest.

The Times reported the injured midshipman mistook a law enforcement officer for the shooter and hit him in the head with a parade rifle. The Times said the law enforcement officer then fired at least one gunshot at the midshipman, hitting his arm.

NBC Washington corroborated The Times' report.

A statement from the academy Friday said that during the response to a security concern, two people were injured.

"A midshipman sustained injuries from a gunshot wound to the shoulder and was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released today. The other person, a member of the naval security force, received minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital before being released," the Naval Academy said. "We want to clarify that there was no active shooter at the Naval Academy. While Naval Support Activity has resumed normal operations, general public visitation to the Academy remains closed for today."

An investigation is underway with NCIS and law enforcement.

Related: Midshipman Shot At Naval Academy During Threat Investigation: Reports

The person making the online threat was a midshipman who had been kicked out of the Academy, NBC and WBFF both reported.

St. John's College student Tobin Rotman lives across the street from a Naval Academy gate. He told The Baltimore Banner he was on the roof of his house with friends at 6 p.m., preparing to watch the sunset, when they heard a siren at the Academy.

"This is not a test! This is not a test," Rotman recalled hearing over a loudspeaker, according to The Banner. "Mandatory lockdown! Imminent danger!"

Rotman told The Banner he then saw about 10 police cars speed down George Street toward Gate 1. He reported seeing two helicopters.

Naval Support Activity Annapolis, the base where the Academy is located, lifted the lockdown by 12:18 a.m. Friday. There will be no public visitation Friday at the Academy.

Patch contacted the Naval Academy, NSA Annapolis and Naval District Washington. They issued this statement:

"At 5:07 PM EST, Naval Support Activity Annapolis security, in coordination with local law enforcement, responded to reports of suspicious activity on the Naval Academy grounds. There is no active shooter threat, however one person was injured while Naval Security Forces were clearing a building. One person has been medevaced with injuries. They are in stable condition. The lockdown has been lifted and the U.S. Naval Academy has been given the all clear. An investigation is underway."

A flurry of threats struck college campuses Thursday on the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The threats also came a day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a university in Utah.

Maryland leaders condemned the political violence.

Maryland Matters reported that House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) and State Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) both received threats to their homes on Thursday. Nobody was hurt in either instance.

"Tensions are so high, and I just want to ask that we all take a moment to breath," Elfreth said in a Friday morning video filmed outside the Academy. "Try to see the good in everybody else. … We are better than this as a country."