US Air Force security guards returned fire at a drive-by shooter who attacked the entrance of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland twice in as many hours early Saturday, officials said.
The mystery attacker fired several rounds at around 2:15 a.m. — then returned two hours later, racing away after a short gunfight, police said.
“It was an off-base shooting from a passing vehicle that fired shots towards the gate, prompting our security forces to respond,” base spokesperson Stefanie Antosh said in a statement.
There were no injuries and there is no further threat to the base, she said.
San Antonio Police Department is still investigating a motive, but the suspects are not believed to be affiliated with the military.
Gunfire broke out around 2:15 a.m. when “security personnel stated they heard several shots fired as well as the fired rounds go past them,” Sgt. Washington Moscoso said.
“After this incident, the security personnel added more armed guards as a precaution.”
Two hours later, a sedan stopped near the same entrance and opened fire again.
“However, with the additional security personnel present, multiple Air Force personnel returned fire toward the suspect vehicle,” Moscoso said.
The vehicle then fled the scene. It was not immediately clear how many shots were fired in the two gunfights.
The shooting forced the entrance to close for several hours before reopening around 9: 30 a.m. However, the base was never placed on lockdown, according to Antosh.
Lackland is home to more than 24,000 active duty members 10,000 Department of Defense civilians, and 11,000 contractors and family members, according to the base website.
Lackland includes the 37th Training Wing; 149th Fighter Wing; 59th Medical Wing; the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency; 24th Air Force Wing, 67th Network Warfare Wing; the Cryptologic Systems Group; the National Security Agency; and 70 associated units.
In addition to Lackland, Joint Base San Antonio includes Randolph Air Force Base and the Army’s Fort Sam Houston and the Camp Bullis training camp.
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