JSC building evacuated; gunman inside
VIDEO LINKS ON LINK04:34 PM CDT on Friday, April 20, 2007

By Michelle Homer / KHOU.com & Associated Press

Raw aerials from the scene| What is Building 44 used for? | JSC spokesman James Hartsfield | HPD update on standoff at Space Center


HPD SWAT and hostage negotiators are at the Johnson Space Center where a gunman remains holed up in building 44.

Also online

Watch live 11 News coverage

Map of JSC showing building 44
"A person with a weapon was in Building 44," confirmed NASA spokesperson Kylie Clem.

Jacobs Engineering, a NASA contractor, confirms that the gunman is one of its employees.

There are unconfirmed reports that the man was going to be fired on Friday.

NASA has not released the man's name but his photo was being distributed to NASA guards to ensure he doesn't escape from the NASA campus.



AIR 11

Evacuated employees gathered outside building 44.

"We can confirm that there were at least two shots fired... we can't confirm if anybody has been hit," said HPD Capt. Dwayne Ready. "We certainly don't have a report that anybody has been shot."

A source inside JSC told 11 News that a meeting was under way in a conference room when the gunman walked in and pointed a gun at one person. He ordered everyone else out.

"At this point we believe he is in one of the rooms, he has barricaded himself in that room," said Capt. Ready. "We do not know if there's another person inside with the suspect."

NASA security responded and HPD was called after the initial call around 1:40 p.m.

More than 15 police cars could be seen outside the building from Air 11.

At least one ambulance was sent to the scene as a precaution, but there have been no reports of injuries.

Building 44, just north of Rocket Park, houses the communications and engineering departments. It is used to test communication equipment for the space shuttle and International Space Station. There are several labs inside.

Clem couldn't say for certain how many employees worked in the building.


AIR 11

More than 15 police cars could be seen outside the building.
NASA officials were working to make sure all of thoes workers had been accounted for.

Several workers could be seen standing outside the building.

Christine Reichert, space station flight controller at Johnson Space Center, said employees were being told to stay in their buildings.

She said she people in the building close to Building 44 “were all good. That’s all I know.”

Doors to Mission Control were locked as is standard procedure.

About two hours after the shooting, the lockdown was lifted and NASA employees were told to go home.

Space Center Intermediate, a Clear Lake ISD school on the NASA property, was also placed on lockdown as a precaution.

Roads within the 1,600-acre campus were blocked off.

Building 44 is along the path of JSC tours.

Hartsfield said the building was “one of the smaller” office buildings on the JSC campus, where Mission Control is based.

He declined to speculate on how a person would get a gun inside NASA security or what his motives would be.

JSC does not routinely search cars or visitors. Kennedy Space Center in Florida does conduct routine searches.
Print this story Add RSS Feeds Email this story Advertisement
Forums, Photos & More
News Your Way: Have the latest news headlines delivered to your favorite RSS reader.



http://www.khou.com/news/local/crime/st ... d63a6.html