Suspects in Deadly Shootout at Fort Meade First Stole Vehicle in Jessup: Reports

Two armed men reportedly dressed as women rammed their vehicle -- believed to be stolen from a Jessup motel -- Monday into the gates of the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, which sparked a fatal shootout with police, according to media reports.

One person is dead and one is injured in the incident.

Officials told The Washington Post the two suspects spent Sunday night at a Howard County motel.

A spokeswoman for the Howard County Police Department told the Post the SUV involved in the NSA incident was reported stolen from a motel on Route 1 in Jessup on Monday morning.

“The shooting scene is contained, and we do not believe it is related to terrorism,” Amy J. Thoreson, a spokeswoman for the FBI, told the Washington Post.

Initial reports said the “women” were in a car that took a wrong exit and arrived at the NSA gate. They were told to turn around and refused and then rammed the gate.

NBC News, though, was one of the first to report that the two civilians appear to have actually been men dressed as women and that gunfire was exchanged. A gun and drugs were found in the stolen Ford Escape the men were riding in, according to NBC News.

WJLA reported that there were two damaged vehicles at the scene. The station showed an emergency crew loading an injured uniformed man into an ambulance.

One of the damaged vehicles is an NSA police SUV, according to images at WUSA9.

FBI agents are investigating with NSA Police and other law enforcement agencies. Federal investigators are working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland to determine if federal charges are warranted.

Fort Meade’s website posted a message urging service members and civilian employees to share any tips using the Army iWATCH site.

»Photos: Screenshots from Washington Post video

>>Want more news? Get the Columbia Patch daily newsletter.