Updated: 'All clear' at Grand Forks Air Force Base following hours-long lockdown

Grand Forks Herald
·2 min read

Apr. 17—GRAND FORKS COUNTY — A lockdown at the Grand Forks Air Force Base, put in place after a reported gunshot, was lifted at 4:35 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17.

Normal operations had resumed as of just before 5 p.m., according to a press release.

Hours earlier, around 1 p.m., base security forces received a report of a single gunshot near the medical clinic and base exchange.

"Out of an abundance of caution, they issued a lockdown to respond to the situation," Lea Greene, a base spokesperson, said in a statement.

Greene told the Herald only one person reported hearing a gunshot, so it's possible that the sound was misinterpreted.

"We don't even know if it was a real gunshot that the reporter heard, at this point," she said.

Other than the reported sound, Greene said, there were no indications of an active shooter on the base. However, the source of the sound had still not been located after "a thorough door-to-door sweep."

No injuries were reported.

The end of the lockdown came after hours of confusion, when a loudspeaker on the base could be heard warning residents of an active shooter near the base exchange and medical center. Military police turned cars away at the gate, and residents were urged to lock their doors.

Shortly after the lockdown was put in place, Greene told the Herald it was unclear if reports of gunfire were substantiated. David Stromberg, of the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office, told the Herald he had been told there was no active shooter situation and that the base had declined the Sheriff's Office's assistance.

"Grand Forks Air Force Base leadership would like to thank local law enforcement, emergency responders, and the school district for providing fast and expert response," an updated statement from the base said after the lockdown was lifted. "Grand Forks, as with all Department of Defense installations, continually monitors the threats against its people, resources and facilities, and implements appropriate security measures."