Fort Meade Debunks Tabloid’s False Report About ‘Active Shooter’

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Contrary to a tabloid report, determination was nary progressive shooter Thursday greeting astatine Fort Meade, Maryland, a spokesperson confirmed to WJZ.

A thinly sourced study from The Sun claimed a gunman opened occurrence wrong the U.S. Army installation successful Anne Arundel County, resulting successful “multiple casualties” earlier helium was yet detained.

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In reality, authorities were conducting an workout to trial the garrisons’ response to “multiple emergent incidents nether COVID-19 conditions,” according to Fort Meade’s authoritative Twitter account.

Reached by phone, a spokesperson debunked The Sun’s report, saying it was lone a drill.

The installation notified residents of what’s known arsenic an “Integrated Protection Exercise” astir a week ago, saying radical could expect to perceive “Alert!” and different calls to enactment during the exercise.

In effect to the mendacious alarms, the installation’s Twitter relationship repeated respective tweets posted Sept. 14, including 1 saying: “Do not beryllium alarmed arsenic this is conscionable a grooming exercise.”

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The Sun aboriginal backpedaled connected its archetypal report, attributing the mendacious accusation to a basal spokesperson who believed the tabloid’s newsman was portion of the workout and “provided accusation to them connected the made-up incident.”

The study did not admit the outlet’s relation successful spreading misinformation.

…There volition beryllium minimal interaction to garrison services. Expect to perceive “ALERT! / Giant Voice messaging!” and expect “changes to FPCON status” to hap passim the exercise…

— Fort Meade PAO (@FtMeadeMD) September 14, 2021

CBS Baltimore Staff