Air Force tech sergeant kills commander before disciplinary hearing at Lackland Air Force Base

FBI personnel stand near a vehicle located inside Lackland AFB, Medina Annex on Friday, Apr. 8, 2016. Earlier, two men died in an apparent murder-suicide near Forbes Hall within the annex Friday morning that left the base locked down for nearly 2 hours, officials said. less FBI personnel stand near a vehicle located inside Lackland AFB, Medina Annex on Friday, Apr. 8, 2016. Earlier, two men died in an apparent murder-suicide near Forbes Hall within the annex Friday morning that ... more Photo: Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News Photo: Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 48 Caption Close Air Force tech sergeant kills commander before disciplinary hearing at Lackland Air Force Base 1 / 48 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — A tech sergeant at Lackland Air Force Base was being escorted to a disciplinary proceeding by a senior non-commissioned officer Friday morning when the tech sergeant opened fire in the commander's office, killing the commander, a source with knowledge of the attack said.

The tech sergeant then killed himself. The senior NCO, a first sergeant, was uninjured, the source said.

The murder-suicide left the base locked down for nearly 2 hours, officials said.

Law enforcement swarmed Forbes Hall in the Medina Annex around 8:30 a.m. just minutes after reports of an active shooter were made, resulting in a lockdown of the entire base and schools in the area, Brig. Gen. Robert LaBrutta said at a late-morning press conference.

Labrutta said the bodies of two men, who have not been publicly identified by officials, were found in a room in Forbes Hall near two pistols.

Investigators searched a black Saturn coupe in the parking lot of Forbes Hall hours after the shooting. Evidence markers could be seen next to the vehicle.

A source familiar with the incident said both guns belonged to the assailant. No other details about the shooter were immediately available.

Another source familiar with the incident said the victim is a squadron commander. At the press conference, military officials refused to confirm details about the two men, including identity, rank and relationship.

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The lockdown of the southwestern Bexar County base was lifted just before 10:30 a.m. Several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, responded to the scene.

A nearby basic military training parade with anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 spectators was about to begin on Lackland’s main base when the shooting occurred. The parade was abruptly ended after an active-shooter alert was issued, with the airmen and visitors moving from the parade field, across a parking lot and to the Gateway Club near Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center.

They remained at the Gateway Club until the all-clear alert was issued.

“It was by the numbers. We’ve practiced it several times,” one person on the scene said.

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We have victims at Lackland Air Force Base, scene is still active — Bexar County Sheriff (@BexarCoSheriff) April 8, 2016

A handful of parents arrived before noon to retrieve their kids from Valley Hi Elementary School, which is near the annex’s main gate. The school will release its students at the normal time, a Northside Independent School District spokesman said.

An email sent to mySA.com from a nearby resident said two siren announcements went off at around 8:45 a.m. warning that an active shooter was present near Building 134 on the base.

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Lackland Air Force Base has Lackland Elementary School, Stacy Junior/Senior High Schools along with three early childhood centers.

Editor's note: This story initially reported a squadron number believed to be involved in the shooting based on a report from the Air Force Times. That publication has now revised their report to exclude the squadron number.

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Staff writers Joshua Fechter, Sal Guerrero and Julie Cohen contributed to this report.

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