Reports of Shots Fired: It Was Just a Drill -- That Local Police Didn't Know About

Fairfax County Police were on the scene Thursday afternoon investigating a report of shots fired in the Bailey’s Crossroads area. It turns out it was just a drill — but whoever held the drill apparently forgot to notify local police ahead of time. There was a massive response from police.

It turns out it was an active shooter drill -- but not being conducted by Fairfax County Police.

The specific area where police were searching before they found out it was just a drill was 5109 Leesburg Pike (see map below). The address is the location of Skyline Six or Six Skyline Place.

Police began searching the area just after 1 p.m. according to FCPD spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell.

It’s uncertain whether local authorities had been made aware of the drill; a spokeswoman at the FBI Washington field office said they had not been informed of the drill.

No word on what federal agency or company was conducting the drill. The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority notes the Skyline area of the county on its Web site: “Due to its proximity to the Pentagon and downtown Washington, D.C., most of the office space at Skyline is occupied by the federal government (includng the military) and related contractors. Major employers in the area include Booz Allen Hamilton, the Department of Defense, HP Enterprise Services, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Raytheon, SAIC, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Justice.”

In addition to being home to some federal entities, there are plenty of business such as Target and other stores and restaurants in the area. 

Patch will update with any new information as it becomes available.