The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis went into lockdown on Thursday, September 11, 2025, as base officials and local police responded to reports of an active threat near Bancroft Hall, the academy’s massive midshipmen dormitory.
A Naval Support Activity Annapolis spokesperson said the base was locked down “out of an abundance of caution” while officers investigated.
Early statements emphasized that the situation was developing and that verified updates would follow, as first reported by the Associated Press and Reuters.
What officials have confirmed
Naval Support Activity Annapolis, which hosts the academy, said security forces and local law enforcement were coordinating on campus after receiving threat reports. In public comments, base spokesperson Lt. Naweed Lemar confirmed the lockdown and urged the public to avoid the area while responders worked.
National wires noted that police activity concentrated around Bancroft Hall, which has more than 1,600 rooms and is widely described by the academy as the largest single college dormitory in the United States.
Coverage from the AP framed the move as precautionary while facts were gathered, and Reuters added that officials had not yet provided specifics on the nature of the threat.
Local outlets captured images of a Maryland State Police medevac helicopter landing on academy grounds and reported at least one person transported for treatment.
Baltimore affiliate WBAL described people running into a building with their hands raised as law enforcement established control points. Authorities did not immediately say whether the medical evacuation was directly related to the reported threat.
Reports of an expelled midshipman and shots at Bancroft Hall
Separately, Fox News and other outlets cited unnamed campus sources who alleged that a midshipman previously dismissed from the academy returned to campus armed with a weapon and that gunshots were heard inside Bancroft Hall.
One campus official told the outlet the intruder had been “knocking on doors pretending to be a military policeman.” The same reporting referenced multiple victims being assessed and one person taken by medevac.
These details had not been confirmed by Naval Support Activity Annapolis as of Thursday evening.
A later update from Maryland state officials, carried by WBAL, said that authorities at that moment did not believe there was a “credible threat” to the Naval Academy, underscoring how fast early narratives can shift in an unfolding security response.
The academy and base public affairs offices reiterated that verified updates would be released when available.
