Although it is against Defense Department policy for anyone other than military police and law enforcement to carry firearms on federal property, sources within the Navy have confirmed that a Naval officer on site and one of the slain Marines did in fact return fire to shooter Muhammad Abdulazeez with personal guns.
Multiple sources have confirmed that the commanding officer of the Chattanooga Naval support center, Lt. Cmdr. Timothy White, returned fire to Abdulazeez during the rampage. He did so along with one of the fallen Marines who was carrying a 9mm Glock.
[revad1]
It is unclear whether or not these rounds struck Abdulazeez until an autopsy is completed. Additionally law enforcement officials are still sifting out details of the last moments of the attack and are keeping tight lipped about the progress.
________________
From the Navy Times:
A Navy officer and a Marine fired their sidearms hoping to kill or subdue the gunman who murdered five service members last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee, according to multiple military officials familiar with internal reporting on the tragedy.
It remains unclear whether either hit Muhammad Abdulazeez, who was shot and killed on July 16 after he gunned down four Marines and a sailor at the Navy Operational Support Center in Chattanooga. It’s also unclear why they were armed, as it is against Defense Department policy for anyone other than military police or law enforcement to carry weapons on federal property.
A report distributed among senior Navy leaders during the shooting’s aftermath said Lt. Cmdr. Timothy White, the support center’s commanding officer, used his personal firearm to engage Abdulazeez, Navy Times confirmed with four separate sources. A Navy official also confirmed a Washington Post report indicating one of the slain Marines may have been carrying a 9mm Glock and possibly returned fire on the gunman.
Does it bother you that this officer and Marine had personal firearms or do you think it saved lives? Discuss in our comments below!
