Malmstrom Air Force Base reported an “active shooter” Thursday, February 15, 2024, after what was believed to be a "suspicious person" was reported on base as an active shooter.
Malmstrom officials said the threat was reported at building 219 on base.
The base was locked down at about 10:30 a.m. and implemented Force Protection Condition Delta - the highest level of base security - as military personnel investigated. During FPCON Delta, no people are allowed to enter or leave the base.
Officers with the Cascade County Sheriff's Office and the Great Falls Police Department also responded to the area.
Several schools off-base implemented "shelter in place" procedures as a precaution.
At about 12:43 p.m., base officials sounded the "all clear" and said that there were no confirmed gunshots fired, and there were no injuries reported.
Some people were initially confused about the incident because Malmstrom notified the community several days ago that it would be conducting a training exercise today, and that there would be increased alarms, sirens, notifications, and security measures during the exercise.
However, once the reported active shooter situation developed, Malmstrom used the words "real world" in a Facebook post, signifying that the response to the apparent threat was not part of any training exercise.
Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter hosted a news conference after the “all clear” was given in order to provide information about the response.
