IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Fort Meade Incident: 1 Dead as Men Dressed as Women Spark NSA Shooting

A guard shot at least one of the men at the gates to the agency's facility at Fort Meade in Maryland.
Get more newsLiveon
/ Source: NBC News

An NSA police officer opened fire Monday morning when two men dressed as women and driving a stolen car tried to ram through the gates at Fort Meade — and one suspect was killed, sources said.

After trying to make an "unathorized entry," the driver of the Ford Escape ignored the guard's order to leave the area, NSA spokesman Jonathan Freed said in a statement.

"The vehicle accelerated toward an NSA Police vehicle blocking the road. NSA Police fired at the vehicle when it refused to stop. The unauthorized vehicle crashed into the NSA Police vehicle."

One man died at the scene; the cause of death has not been determined. The other was hospitalized with unknown injuries, and the NSA police officer was also hurt.

Howard County police said the vehicle had been stolen from a hotel off Route 1 in Jessup, Maryland, before the shooting, but could provide no other details.

The FBI was leading the investigation.

"The shooting scene is contained and we do not believe it is related to terrorism," the FBI's Baltimore office said in a statement. "We are working with the US Attorney's Office in Maryland to determine if federal charges are warranted."

It's not clear why the men were trying to enter the facility, but one senior U.S. official called it a "local criminal matter."

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said President Obama was briefed on the incident.

IN-DEPTH

SOCIAL

NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski and Oliver Cox contributed to this report.