PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Two incidents at Norfolk Naval Shipyard caused it to go on lockdown Thursday, an official said.
Around 9 a.m., a threatening message was written on a bathroom wall, while around 10:48 a.m. there were reports of an active shooter in a building, shipyard spokesperson Terri Davis said.
Dozens of shipyard workers waited outside the gate as several ambulances, police cars and fire trucks drove in and out. Several workers told 13News Now that they initally thought the threats were part of a drill.
"That it's not real," said Will Tull. "It's like you know somebody's joking around, it's Valentines Day and somebody got a bad note or seething and they're upset. But we do these drills all the time so we thought it was another drill."
The whole base went on lockdown during these reports. The lockdown was lifted around 1:45 p.m. and Norfolk Naval Shipyard returned to normal operations.
"You always think it's not going to happen here but in today's society, it happens everywhere so we always train," said worker Pat Smith. "My mindset is if you see something, say something."
NCIS, shipyard law enforcement were on scene, Davis said.
Portsmouth police told 13News Now the active shooter call was a false alarm.
No further information about the incident has been released at this time.