2 US Coast Guard members shot to death at Alaska base

Two members of the US Coast Guard have been shot to death at a communications station on Alaska's Kodiak Island, prompting an investigation by the FBI and a lockdown of the base.

No one was in custody as of Thursday afternoon, according to Fox News, and the FBI reportedly said there was no immediate evidence of terrorism or sabotage.

Anchorage television station KTUU.com cited officials as saying the shootings appeared to be a double homicide, though they had yet to identify a suspect.

Another Coast Guard member found the victims Thursday at their work areas inside the Kodiak Island communications station, the Associated Press cited spokeswoman Sara Francis as saying.

KTUU reported that the two dead were believed to have been shot sometime between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. local time, and that a third individual might have been involved.

The communications station, located about 250 miles southwest of Anchorage, has 59 staff members.

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Reuters quoted Captain Jesse Moore, base commanding officer, as saying: "Since we don't have all the details, we strongly advise that all Kodiak residents remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement officials.

"We are deeply saddened that we lost two shipmates. This is a rare occurrence, and we are going to do everything possible to ensure we find out exactly what happened."

They are first fatal shootings at a Coast Guard facility in Alaska in over a decade.

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