The two airmen found dead in a shooting at a military base in San Antonio were identified Saturday, as the investigation into Friday’s apparent murder-suicide continued.
Air Force Lt. Col. William A. Schroeder and Sgt. Steven D. Bellino were found dead Friday morning at Lackland Air Force Base, a part of Joint Base San Antonio. The FBI said in a statement that Bellino was a special agent for two years before resigning in 2013.
The attack appeared to be a murder-suicide, Bexar County Sheriff's Office spokesman James Keith told MSNBC Friday.
The base said in a statement Saturday that the incident was a “workplace violence incident” and not related to terrorism. The shooting is still under investigation, the statement said.
“A tragedy of this type is felt by each and every member, but we will pull together to help our own,” said Brig. Gen. Trent H. Edwards, the commander of the 37th Training Wing, where both men were assigned.
The gunfire was reported at about 8:40 a.m. local time, and when police and security officers arrived, they found the Schroeder and Bellino dead in an office in a building known as Forbes Hall, authorities said. Two Glock firearms were found at the scene.
It was the second shooting at Joint Base San Antonio since June 2013, when a retired Army sergeant shot his common-law wife, an Army captain, at Fort Sam Houston. She survived.
Brig. Gen. Robert D. LaBrutta, the base's commander, said in a news conference that only security officers and law enforcement are allowed to carry guns on the complex, and that it was unclear how the shooter managed to get inside while armed.
The base remained on lockdown for more than an hour after the shooting as authorities searched Forbes Hall and determined that the attack had ended.
Sydney Spalding was heading towards the graduation field to see a friend graduate from the Air Force when the base went under lockdown.
"We were driving around looking for somewhere to park and an announcement came on all over base saying there was an active shooter in building 147," Spalding, 20, said. "You saw different airmen running in uniform and people spreading out. We were still in the car debating if we could leave. We parked and were trying to find somewhere to hide out and was pulled into a dark building to hide out."
