VALDOSTA —
Special Weapons and Tactics units and other specialized divisions of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office rushed manpower and fire power Wednesday afternoon to Moody Air Force Base in response to a reported threat, but were called back after clearing several buildings and ruling the report false, according to base officials. The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office termed the incident “a hoax.”
The report of an active shooter on the base originated from an automated voice message that was received by several airmen on Moody, according to a Wednesday evening releasefrom the base. The airmen reported the phone calls to base emergency officials and lock-down procedures were implemented at approximately 1:25 p.m. Emergency personnel responded to the situation immediately and determined a threat did not exist.
Cars spilled out onto Bemiss Road during the lock-down, trapping drivers in the stagnant lines outside of the clotted North and South gates until the “all clear” was given at approximately 2:55 p.m.
Georgia State Patrol troopers kept watch at the swelling intersections outside of the base’s gate. Meanwhile, Lowndes County Sheriff’s deputies set up teams both in and outside of the sealed base before ruling the report false, said Lowndes County Sheriff Chris Prine.
“We were dispatched to Moody Air Force Base because we received a report of an active shooter on base,” said Prine. “We had teams inside of the base that swept several hangars and other buildings, but we didn’t find a shooter.”
Kevlar-clad SWAT members gathered in the Family Pizza parking lot across from base, prepping assault rifles and testing their communications and optical gadgets as civilians and locked-out military personnel snapped cell-phone pictures. But the group was never given the order to proceed onto the base, the sheriff said.
“I called in the Lowndes County SWAT team and had them stage near the base in case they were needed,” said Prine, who was with teams on the base.
“Moody Air Force Base’s request for assistance was later canceled, so all of our units packed up and moved out.”
Security Forces and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations at Moody are investigating the source of the phone calls, said 23rd Wing Commander Colonel Billy Thompson.
“We take all active shooter reports seriously and I’m proud of the way our airmen and everyone on base responded,” said Thompson. “We also appreciate the partnership and support we received from the Lowndes County and Valdosta first-responders as the situation developed.”
Local News
Related Photos
-
Lowndes County deputies and tactical units stage on Bemiss Road across from Moody Air Force Base during a lockdown Wednesday afternoon. The base was on lockdown while base security and Lowndes County deputies searched for a reported gunman. Brandon Powers
-
Lowndes County sheriff’s deputies await further orders at a staging area Wednesday afternoon during a lockdown at Moody Air Force Base. Brandon Powers
Discussion
Threat ‘hoax’ locks down Moody
Reports of a gunman are a false alarm
- Local News
-
-
Search for survivors continues
Helmeted rescue workers raced Tuesday to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of nine children.
-
Curator offers arts a helping hand
If you’ve been to the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts in the past four years, you have seen the quiet art of Bill Shenton.
-
Albino gators visit Wild Adventures
Two rare albino American alligators have joined the other gators at Wild Adventures for the summer.
-
Officers wound man in shootout
A Lanier County man was wounded Saturday during an exchange of gunfire with lawmen, according to a Lanier County Sheriff’s Office press release.
-
Woman fights to live after cancer
To be whole again, the desire that sometimes overwhelms chair-bound Mandy Painter, fuels the Realtor each day through walking lessons during physical therapy and it's also what could see her through a cutting-edge program in Boston, where world-class neurologists can reawaken her cerebellum and see the mother of three to her feet again.
-
North Ashley Street closed following accident
A Sport Utility Vehicle traveling north on North Ashley Street drove into a telephone pole Monday morning, resulting in the closure of the road.
-
Gornto extension half complete
The Gornto Road extension project is more than half-way complete, and could be finished ahead of the one-year deadline contractors were given when the project was approved Oct. 11 by the Valdosta City Council.
-
Nashville honors history, musical tradition
There were more than a few Nashville residents and guests from out of town fiddlin’ around Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of the Georgia Humanities Council and Smithsonian New Harmonies exhibit, celebrating roots music from the state and across the Deep South.
-
Locals, out-of-towners come out for food, fun at Peach Festival
The Morven Peach Festival drew a smaller crowd than usual in its 26th year, but planners weren't complaining.
-
Coliform found in drinking water
The cause of a water quality issue is still under investigation by the City of Valdosta Utilities Department after a water sample taken from a line in the area near the intersection of St. Augustine Road and West Hill Avenue tested positive for coliform bacteria.
- More Local News Headlines
-
