4 dead in shooting incident at Pensacola naval base; suspect was Saudi national, officials say originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

Four people are dead including the suspect after an active shooting incident at a naval base in Pensacola, Florida, police said.

The shooter was identified as Mohammed Alshamrani, a Saudi national and member of the country's air force who was in the U.S. for flight training, law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation told ABC News. Investigators are trying to determine whether the shooting was terror-related, the officials said.

Authorities responded to reports of a shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola at 6:51 a.m. on Friday, officials said. ATF and FBI also responded to the scene.

The shooting took place at one of the classroom buildings on the base, officials said. Officers with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office arrived on the scene and fatally shot the suspect after exchanging gunfire.

PHOTO: The ID card of the Pensacola shooter (ABC News) More

Three people, including the shooter, were pronounced dead on scene, police said. One victim was taken to the hospital and died from injuries.

Eight others injured in the shooting were transported to Baptist Hospital, police said. The condition of those victims has not been released.

(MORE: 4 shooting incidents occurred on military bases in the US in 2019)

"Walking through the crime scene was like being on the set of a movie," Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan told reporters earlier in the day, adding, "The threat has been negated, our community is secured at this time."

None of the victims have been identified.

In a later interview with ABC News' Eva Pilgrim, Morgan confirmed the suspect used a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine.

Morgan described a "war zone," a crime scene that could "days to process."

At the scene, "a tremendous number of rounds fired," he added. "Crime scene was littered with rounds."

Two officers were among those wounded in the shooting. One officer was shot in the leg and is currently in surgery. The second officer was shot in the arm and is undergoing care at the hospital. They are both expected to survive.

They're "doing great," Morgan told ABC News. "Expect one to be released today. The other one will be in the hospital for awhile."

(MORE: Suspect identified in shooting at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard)

"There's some real heroism today," said Capt. Timothy Kinsella, commanding officer at NAS Pensacola.

#UPDATE: Shooter and three victims confirmed deceased with multiple others injured and being treated at local hospitals. NAS Pensacola remains in lockdown. Full Press Release: https://t.co/KJdL3SLPvO — U.S. Navy (@USNavy) December 6, 2019

"This is a dark day for a very great place," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference Friday afternoon. "It not only strikes at the heart of the community of northwest Florida but throughout the Navy."

The FBI is leading the investigation with local authorities and ATF assisting, officials said. The U.S. Attorney's Office is also involved.

PHOTO: The courtyard and barracks at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., March 7, 2018. (Glenn Sircy/US Navy via AFP/Getty Images) More

According to two law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation, authorities are urgently focused on two likely possible motives: whether the shooter had religious or ideological reasons; or was there a problem or hostility that developed in the course of the training at Pensacola.

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