WASHINGTON — A group of soldiers participating in a large-scale training exercise at a Mississippi National Guard post may have been targeted by gunmen who opened fire in the area late Tuesday morning.
No one was injured in the shooting near the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in south Mississippi, a spokesperson for the state’s National Guard said. The National Guard believes the shots were fired from off-post. Law enforcement, according to a WDAM-TV report, are searching for two men who fired from a pickup truck and fled the area.
Perry County Sheriff Jimmy Dale Smith could not immediately be reached by phone.
The shooting comes as the military reviews security issues faced by troops at stateside installations and off-post sites in the wake of an attack last month that left four Marines and a sailor dead.
A renewed call to allow more troops to carry guns for self-protection while on duty in the U.S. came after Mohammed Abdulazeez killed five servicemembers in an attack July 16 on a recruiting office and a Navy-Marine facility before he was fatally shot by Chattanooga police.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter last week directed senior officials from each of the military services to create action plans to address weapons and security issues.
Policy exists that allows commanders to arm qualified troops outside of law enforcement duty based on existing threats and the need to protect assets and lives. Action plans are due to Carter by Aug. 21.
dickstein.corey@stripes.com Twitter: @CDicksteinDC