BREAKING NEWS: First Pensacola shooting victim is identified as young Naval officer whose brother says ‘died a hero’ and ‘saved countless live’ by rushing to alert police after being shot multiple times
- Joshua Kaleb Watson was among three slain on Friday at NAS Pensacola
- His brother says he ‘saved countless lives’ by directing cops to the shooter
- Watson just graduated from the US Naval Academy and trained to be an aviator
Joshua Kaleb Watson was one of three killed in the suspected terrorist shooting
One of the three victims killed by a Saudi gunman at Naval Air Station Pensacola has been identified.
Joshua Kaleb Watson, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy this year, was among the victims slain on Friday by Mohammed al-Shamrani, a Saudi Arabian aviator being trained in the U.S.
In a heartbreaking tribute on Facebook, Watson’s brother wrote that he ‘saved countless lives today with his own.’
‘After being shot multiple times he made it outside and told the first response team where the shooter was and those details were invaluable. He died a hero,’ wrote brother Adam Watson.
The assault, which is being investigated as terror-related, ended when a sheriff’s deputy killed the gunman.
Joshua Kaleb Watson (right), is seen wearing the rank of ensign after graduating from the US Naval Academy earlier this year
Watson, back row second from left, is seen with other sailors, He is believed to have been training as a Naval aviator
Twelve people were hurt in the attack, including the two sheriff’s deputies who were the first to respond, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said.
One of the deputies was shot in the arm and the other in the knee, and both were expected to recover, he said.
Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani was a Saudi aviator training at the U.S. naval station
The shooter Alshamrani was a second lieutenant attending the aviation school at the base. The Pentagon say his training with the US military began in August 2016, and was due to finish in August 2020.
On Friday evening, the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist media, claimed they had tracked a Twitter account belonging to Alshamrani which featured a disturbing manifesto written just hours before the shooting.
‘I’m against evil, and America as a whole has turned into a nation of evil,’ it read.
‘I’m not against you for just being American, I don’t hate you because your freedoms, I hate you because every day you supporting, funding and committing crimes not only against Muslims but also humanity,’ Alshamrani wrote.
Investigators were working to determine if if the tweet was in fact written by the shooter.
A massive police response is seen on the base during a lockdown for the shooting
Naval Air Station Pensacola is the home base of the Navy’s revered Blue Angels
Meanwhile six other Saudi nationals were arrested near the base shortly after the attack, as investigators began to probe a terror link.
Three of the six were seen filming the entire incident as it unfolded, a source told the New York Times.
No officials have yet stated whether any of them were students inside the classroom where the shooting occurred.
Military members from around the globe receive training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, which is the home base of the Navy’s revered Blue Angels aerial demonstration team.
Developing story, check back for updates.