Five dead, including gunman, in Tennessee military shootings

Five people were killed after a gunman went on the rampage at two military-related facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Thursday. Police say the dead included four marines and the suspected gunman. Three others were wounded in the attacks, including a police officer and a Marine Corps recruiter.

Witnesses and local media said the man drove an open-top vehicle between two locations about 10 kilometres apart. First, he drove up to a military recruiting centre that houses five branches of the US military, where witnesses reported hearing up to 50 shots ring out. The man then headed to a Navy and Marine Corps reserve centre, where another barrage of gunfire was heard.

In Washington, President Barack Obama pledged a thorough investigation into the attack. US authorities have described the assaults as brazen, brutal and "an act of domestic terrorism." The FBI identified the suspect as Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez. The 24-year-old was born in Kuwait before moving with his family to the US as a child and becoming a naturalised citizen. He lived a short distance from the two facilities. No motive was given for the attacks.

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berk described the attacks as "incomprehensible", before confirming that the gunman had been shot dead. Lockdowns were immediately put in place around the shooting locations, and security was immediately tightened at federal facilities.

Two previous deadly shootings have taken place at US military installations over the past six years: a 2009 rampage at Fort Hood which left 13 dead and a 2013 attack at the Navy Yard in Washington which left 12 dead.    (DW, AP, Reuters)

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