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4 dead in shooting at Florida naval air station; Saudi king expresses grief, calls it ‘heinous’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the shooter, who was gunned down by police, was part of the Saudi air force.

4 dead in shooting at Florida naval air station; Saudi king expresses grief, calls it ‘heinous’

Representational image (Photo: IStock)

At least four people were killed and several others injured in a shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola in northwest Florida on Friday, according to official sources.

The shooting took place in the early hours of the day in a building at the naval air station where the classrooms of the base that occupy two floors are located.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) specified that the shooter and two of the other victims were dead at the scene, while another died at Baptist Hospital.

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During a press briefing at the gates of the base, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan and representatives of the Navy and the city of Pensacola said that a total of 11 people were caught in the shooting, including the gunman who started it.

Five were taken to Baptist Hospital, which has not yet provided any information about the condition of the patients, while another six were moved to Sacred Heart Hospital, according to the Pensacola News Journal website.

Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh told the Pensacola News Journal that he was standing in line to enter the naval air station when the doors closed and he got the news by telephone about what was happening inside.

Saudi Arabia King Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud condemned the shooting and called it “heinous”.

In a telephonic conversation, the king spoke to US President Donald Trump and expressed “deep sorrow” over the incident and pledged cooperation with American officials.

The Saudi king “assured Trump of the kingdom’s full support to the United States, as he ordered Saudi security services to cooperate with American agencies to uncover information that will help uncover the circumstances behind this unfortunate incident,” the SPA reported.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the shooter, who was gunned down by police, was part of the Saudi air force.

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