Gunman Shoots 2 Officers Outside Pentagon Metro Station

ARLINGTON, Va. - Two Pentagon Police officers were hurt when a gunman opened fire at the entrance to the Pentagon Metro station on Thursday evening. The suspect, who was the third victim, was said to be in custody.

Pentagon Police Chief Richard Keevill said Thursday night that the alleged gunman walked up to the Pentagon prescreen area at the Pentagon Metro entrance facility at around 6:40 p.m. and when he was asked to show his pass to officers, he reached into his pocket and pulled a gun. Then, Chief Keevill said, he immediately started shooting at the officers.

Chief Keevill said the alleged gunman didn't say anything and showed no emotion before he started firing. He used a handgun that he pulled from his pocket.

Chief Keevill said the suspect hit two officers, and fire was returned. The suspect was then hit, and his injuries were critical, according to Chief Keevill.   FOX News reported the suspect was shot in the head.  The officers' injuries were non-life threatening.

All of the injured including the suspect were taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment.

The names of the officers were not immediately released. Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as John Patrick Bedell, 36. They also said they were speaking with a second man, who might have accompanied the shooter, and were running his name through databases.

"We have layers of security, and it worked," said Chief Keevill. "He never got inside the building to hurt anyone."
 

RAW VIDEO: PENTAGON POLICE CHIEF RICHARD KEEVILL'S UPDATE:

Chief Keevill also said a shooting of this kind has never happened at the Pentagon before now.
The Pentagon Metro station, which serves both the Blue and Yellow lines for the transit system, was closed for a time after the shooting, which happened around 6:40 p.m. By 8 p.m., the Metro station had been reopened, with the exception of one entrance near the scene.

The Pentagon was also locked down for a time during the investigation.

The assault at the very threshold of the Pentagon -- the U.S. capital's ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001 -- came four months after a deadly attack on the Army's Fort Hood, Texas, post allegedly by a U.S. Army psychiatrist with radical Islamic leanings. In the immediate aftermath Thursday, investigators did not think terrorism was involved but were not ruling that out and did not discuss possible motives.

The subway station is immediately adjacent to the Pentagon building, a five-sided northern Virginia colossus across the Potomac River from Washington. Since a redesign following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon, riders can no longer disembark directly into the building. Riders take a long escalator ride to the surface from the underground station, then pass through a security check outside the doors of the building, where further security awaits.

After the attack, all Pentagon entrances were secured, then all were reopened except one from the subway, said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. He said the subway entrance was likely to remain closed overnight at least.


RAW VIDEO OF EMERGENCY VEHICLES ARRIVING OUTSIDE THE PENTAGON METRO STATION MOMENTS AFTER THE SHOOTING, COURTESY OF ARLNOW.COM/YOUTUBE :

• CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST SERVICE UPDATES FROM METRO'S WEBSITE

 News of the shootings spread quickly on Twitter.  Check out this live feed of tweets searching 'Pentagon Metro':