Joint Base Andrews Says Active Shooter Report Stemmed From Misunderstanding

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Officials say reports of an active shooter at Joint Base Andrews stemmed from someone who made a distress call after seeing security forces doing a routine inspection.

The confusion was heightened by a planned active shooter drill at the military post outside Washington that had not yet begun and was planned for later in the morning.

The base said in a Facebook post Thursday that there was no shooter and no threat to the base or personnel.

"Fortunately, this was not a life-threatening situation," Col. Brad Hoagland, 11th Wing and JBA commander, said in a statement on Facebook. "We take all threats seriously and reacted to ensure the security of those on the base."

On the base's Facebook and Twitter pages earlier Thursday morning, officials said the active shooter exercise was planned when reports of "a real-world active shooter situation" came in around 9 a.m. at the Malcolm Grow medical facility.

The base instructed all personnel to shelter in place and said first responders were on the scene, but that's when the situation became confusing.

"We haven't heard reports of additional shots being fired or in fact any shots being fired," said former FBI Assistant Director Ron Hasko.

There were also conflicting reports from local police who said no emergency units were sent to the base, CBS News reported.

"There is so much confusion right now," a Prince George's County police department spokesperson told CBS News. "We don't know what's happening there. I can tell you we have no units dispatched to Andrews."

The facility was evacuated for more than hour before the "all-clear" was given when officials were able to determine what had happened.

But even after the lockdown was lifted, there are still lots of troubling questions, including how communication could have failed in such a big way.

Homeland Security Chief Jeh Johnson was at a hearing on Capitol Hill when he referred to an "unfolding situation" and said he might have to leave the session.

Vice President Joe Biden had been scheduled to leave from Andrews for a campaign event and had to delay his departure.

"The people who were involved in the planning of this exercise are going to have to take a hard look at themselves," Hasko said.

The base, which is about 20 miles outside the nation's capital, is home to Air Force One.

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