MARYLAND – The U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland, went into lockdown on Thursday evening after reports surfaced of a possible threat on the 180-year-old military campus.
Military police and local authorities responded quickly when the incident started around 5:30 p.m., leading to fresh concern about student safety as similar threats have recently impacted schools across the country.
Several sources say the lockdown was triggered when a former midshipman, expelled from the academy, returned to the campus with a weapon. The person reportedly entered Bancroft Hall, a large dormitory for midshipmen, and began firing shots.
According to Fox News, gunfire rang out in the hall, and the suspect pretended to be military police, knocking on students’ doors and spreading panic. Emergency services airlifted at least one critically injured victim to the hospital, and two or three others were also evaluated for injuries, but official information on casualties remains limited.
Witnesses saw Maryland State Police helicopters landing on the academy grounds to help evacuate the injured, and an armoured vehicle sped to the scene.
Naval Support Activity (NSA) Annapolis, which manages campus security, confirmed the lockdown in a statement, saying, “Naval Support Activity Annapolis, working with local law enforcement, is responding to reports of threats. The base is locked down for safety.
More information will follow.” Everyone on campus was told to lock themselves inside rooms, barricade doors, and keep away from windows. Midshipman First Class Kellen Bynes, the brigade commander, emailed students, urging them to follow law enforcement directions and move to Halsey Field House, the indoor athletics centre, for safety.
Initial reports described the situation as a possible mass shooting, but an academy source told CBS News that this was not the case.
A shelter-in-place order still stayed in effect for Bancroft Hall. Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s office later reported there was “no credible threat,” and pointed to a case where a midshipman had tried to hide their identity online while making threats.
During the lockdown, a separate incident happened when a midshipman mistook a police officer for an attacker. The student hit the officer with a training tool, leading to the midshipman being shot. NBC News reports that although the midshipman needed hospital treatment, they are expected to recover.
The lockdown caused campus disruptions, with events like soccer practice cancelled and visitors turned away at the entrance. Anne Arundel County Fire Department also responded, but the full extent of their involvement is unclear. Annapolis city officials and police have asked the public to stay away from the area until the situation is under control.
Background on the U.S. Naval Academy
The U.S. Naval Academy, founded in 1845 by Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft, prepares future officers for the Navy and Marine Corps. Located on 338 acres along the Severn River and known as “the Yard,” the academy has around 4,400 midshipmen each year.
It focuses on shaping students’ character, academic skills, and physical fitness for leadership positions. Bancroft Hall, named after the academy’s founder, is one of the world’s largest dorms and serves as the main residence for all midshipmen.
Over the past 180 years, the USNA has faced many challenges, including previous security scares. For example, on January 31, 2025, bomb threats at the neighbouring Naval Support Activity Annapolis North Severn Complex caused lockdowns and tighter security.
The academy has adjusted to major changes, such as admitting women in 1976 and handling modern safety concerns. Its graduates include people like President Jimmy Carter, Admiral Chester Nimitz, and Senator John McCain, showing the academy’s long-standing impact on American naval tradition.
The incident adds to a recent increase in threats at schools across the country. On the same day, several Historically Black Colleges and Universities, like Alabama State, Hampton, and Virginia State, received bomb threats that also triggered lockdowns and event cancellations.
The recent killing of activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University has raised further concerns about safety and political violence, though there is no evidence linking these events to the Naval Academy.
While the investigation continues, law enforcement remains at the Naval Academy, carefully searching Bancroft Hall’s 7th wing to keep students and staff safe. The academy’s leaders have stressed that keeping everyone on campus secure is their top priority.
More updates will follow as details come in. For now, the Annapolis community and the country wait for answers in what has become a tense and uncertain time at one of America’s oldest naval institutions.
