Report of former worker with gun prompts Gannett evacation, police say
McLEAN, Va. — A Northern Virginia police chief says a report of a former Gannett employee with a handgun prompted the evacuation of the headquarters of USA Today.
Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler told The Associated Press on Wednesday afternoon that parts of the newspaper’s office building had since been evacuated. Roessler says people are still sheltering in place in other parts as officers work to clear the building in suburban Washington.
The police department said shortly after 10 a.m. PDT that officers hadn’t found “evidence of any acts of violence or injuries.”
The search was going floor by floor, police said.
Taylor Rosa, an accountant for Gannett, says some workers looked panicked as they evacuated but others were just confused.
The headquarters of USA Today has been evacuated as police respond to reports of a man with a weapon in the building.
The newspaper reported that alarms sounded and police squad cars converged on the scene Wednesday as employees waited outside. Law enforcement officers with rifles and body armor patrolled the area and a helicopter hovered overhead.
Fairfax County police in a tweet urged people to avoid the area, but provided no other immediate details.
The incident occurred just two days after GateHouse Media, a fast-growing chain backed by an investment firm, announced it was buying USA Today’s owner, Gannett, in a $1.4 billion merger of two of the largest U.S. newspaper companies.
The companies said they were committed to journalistic excellence while also cutting costs by $300 million annually. The combined company would have more than 260 daily papers in the U.S. along with more than 300 weeklies.
The move comes amid the continuing circulation decline for print newspapers as more people turn to their computers and smart phones for news.
