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Police: Active-duty Navy official responsible for shooting in Frederick, Maryland

Suspect shot, killed by Army officials
Police: Two victims, suspect down in Frederick active shooter incident
Posted at 9:46 AM, Apr 06, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-06 15:20:53-04

FREDERICK, Md. — An active-duty member of the Navy shot two fellow service members Tuesday morning at an off-base military unit before he was shot and killed by Army personnel when he evaded a security checkpoint at nearby Fort Detrick.

The two victims were airlifted to nearby hospitals and were initially listed in critical conditions. As of Tuesday afternoon, one of those victims is still in critical condition — the other is expected to be discharged from the hospital on Wednesday.

Officials identified the suspect as 38-year-old Fantahun Woldesenbet, an active-duty Navy sailor who lives in Frederick, Maryland. Officials did not issue comment on the motive behind the shooting.

Police say he initially shot the two fellow military members at Riverside Technology Park in Frederick before making his way to Fort Detrick, a nearby Army base. After the initial shooting, Frederick Police issued a "be on the lookout" alert to officials at the base.

When Woldesenbet arrived at a Fort Detrick checkpoint he initially stopped and Army officials attempted to confirm his identity. That's when officials say he sped through the checkpoint.

The suspect traveled about a half-mile down the road toward the base before he was shot and killed by Army officials.

Police have said that Woldesenbet was the only shooter involved in Tuesday's incident and there is no ongoing threat to the public.

Tuesday morning's press conference came moments after the U.S. Navy confirmed to the Associated Press Tuesday that an "active shooter incident" took place at Fort Detrick — a nearby Army base — and that sailors were involved in the incident.

This story was originally published by Ryan Dickstein on WMAR in Baltimore.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story mistakenly identified Fort Detrick as a Naval base. While Navy sailors were involved in the incident, the suspect was killed at the Fort Detrick Army base.