Update: 13 deaths and this appears to be less of a terrorist incident, and more a guy angry about being fired.
This story is posted from a politics examiner perspective and not a news story. Having formerly worked as a defense consultant from an office at the Navy Yard, I am familiar with the neighborhood.
It has been under enormous gentrification during the past number of years. Where before it was a center of poverty and crime, the addition of the Washington Nationals baseball park added new life and renovation. New office buildings and hotels are built where dilapidated apartments and homes once stood.
While I watched the transformation from my office, I was concerned about the displacement of people and about the areas where new development abutted Southeast Washington DC where poverty and crime are high.
The neighborhood is in walking distance of the Capitol where Senators and Congressional Representatives live and work.
The Metro stops at a couple of locations in the Navy Yard neighborhood. During working time and rush hour, there is little concern about safety, however on off hours, people must be vigilant to the potential for crime.
At this point there is no indication that the shootings at the Navy Yard this morning have anything to do with recent increases of gun crimes in Southeast Washington, however, it may be too early to tell.
The most astonishing aspects from the news reports on CNN and other sources include the following list:
1. There is no specific threat against military installations or the Pentagon.
2. At least 2 of the shooter suspects were wearing military clothing.
3. The crime happened on a military installation.
Security where I worked at the Navy Yard was so high that I would have a hard time getting my wife to visit the office. Certainly, getting a weapon into the building would be unthinkable unless there was a shootout with the guard. Even then, each floor had controlled access as did every office on every floor. If you did not have the proper ID, and the subsequent keys and door codes, one could not gain entry.
So, it is unimaginable how armed shooters could penetrate military-style security.
