Sailors and their families at Naval Station Mayport received an update from the base's commanding officer today after a shooting at off-base housing last week.
Capt. David Yoder says the investigation is still ongoing, but they've determined the person who fired shots was not targeting people just because they are in the military. He says no one at the base should feel threatened because they are connected to the Navy.
"We identified that there was a civilian whose activities led to a dispute, and that individual is not affiliated with the Navy nor Naval Station Mayport," Yoder says.
Yoder has prohibited that person from entering the base, off-base housing, the Navy Exchange, the commissary or anything else associated with the installation. He's also asked the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office to have "a criminal trespass order issued to him for Naval Station Mayport property."
Yoder says he's added an extra security detail for 12 hours of the day for off-base housing and the child development center. He says he will continue to order that extra security until he's sure there is no longer any threat whatsoever in the housing communities.
The extra security is not in 12-hour shifts, Yoder says. He says he already has a security schedule in place that implements various ways of checking on the properties at random times, day and night.
"We did determine that military affiliation was not a motivating factor in the event," Yoder says.
