JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Agents from the FBI are now leading the investigation into the deadly shooting at Pensacola Naval Base.
Former FBI Agent Toni Chrabot, CEO of the Risk Confidence Group in Jacksonville, said she believes the FBI is treating the case as an act of terrorism until investigators can prove otherwise.
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The shooter, a Saudi national, was killed by a sheriff’s deputy, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said. Chrabot said FBI agents are working to find out what precisely happened, why it occurred and what led to the gunfire. That includes uncovering any radical teachings the shooter may have exposed himself to, or any known hatred for the west.
In a news conference Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said, “There’s obviously going to be a lot of questions about this individual being a foreign national training on our soil.” Chrabot says this kind of investigation will take time.
”They are going to look at if there was there planning and preparation for this incident, or was it a impulsive act. How was the firearm acquired? This is a foreign national who should have had some background -- I’m sure he did have some background on a base, which is declared safe. Was there a particular event that triggered this? Was someone being targeted? They are going to look at what was the source of anger," Chrabot said.
The FBI wants to express our deepest condolences to the NAS Pensacola community. We live here too and we share in your pain. We will not stop until we have answers. @NASPCOLA
— FBI Jacksonville (@FBIJacksonville) December 6, 2019
News4Jax contacted NAS Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport and Kings Bay Naval Base. Spokesperson for each base said operations on Friday were running normally.