Gunman at Johnson Space Centre

Folks, I've just received a number of texts and emails from a few friends in the States that a gunman has barricaded himself into a building at the Johnson Space Centre and has fired off several shots :shock:

spaceboy

From cnn.com's breaking news:

NASA evacuated a building at the Johnson Space Center in Houston after an employee with a gun was seen and a shot was fired, a NASA spokesman said Friday.

A SWAT team with the Houston Police has been dispatched to building 44 on the Johnson Space Center property, a source told CNN. Building 44 holds a laboratory.

The call for help came in to the Houston Police at 1:40 p.m. (2:40 p.m. ET) but it's unclear who made that call.

NASA spokesman James Hartfield said all of the employees that would have been in that building have been evacuated.

There is "extremely tight security" at Johnson Space Center, Hartfield said.

A NASA spokesperson told CNN that all employees have been told to go home for the day.

Space Center Intermediate School, less than a mile south of building 44, has been locked down, said Karen Permetti, spokeswoman for Clear Creek Independent School District.

She said the school lets out at 4 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) and parents have been asked not to come to the school to pick up their children.

The school has about 1,200 students, according to the school district.

The latest news is at least one person has been shot.

The police have released a description of suspect: A white man, age 50-52, blond hair, no facial hair, glasses, 5'9", blueish or gray shirt and blue jeans.

According to the police, he has barricaded himself on the second floor of Building 44 at Johnson Space Center. He is apparently an employee of a company called Bolands Engineering, a NASA sub contractor.

spaceboy

Two dead, the gunman and a male hostage. A female hostage was released unharmed.

Big deal.
The planet will survive.
Any chance you would show any care for the several thousand children who will die of starvation in Africa today?

Peter.

Big deal.
The planet will survive.
Any chance you would show any care for the several thousand children who will die of starvation in Africa today?

Peter.

Don't make me come over there and hit you! This piece of news is extraordinary Peter, we don't ever hear of a space centre hostage situation. We hear Africa stories all the time.