Joint Base San Antonio Gate Fired Upon Twice, Officials Say

A gate at Joint Base San Antonio came under fire in separate shootings hours apart early on Saturday morning in what officials said appeared to be random acts that prompted base security personnel to return fire in the second episode.

The military said a motive for the gunfire was not immediately clear. It said that it did not believe the shooters had a military affiliation. Security personnel at the base were not injured.

The San Antonio Police Department, which is investigating, said no one was in custody.

The first episode occurred around 2:15 a.m., when shooters fired in the direction of the gate to Lackland Air Force Base’s Chapman Training Annex, at Ray Ellison Boulevard and Medina Base Road, the police said.

“The security personnel stated they heard several shots fired as well as the fired rounds go past them,” said Sgt. Washington Moscoso, a San Antonio Police Department spokesman.

After the shooting, more security personnel were dispatched to the gate, said Stefanie Antosh, a base spokeswoman.

Then, just before 5 a.m., a sedan that looked like the vehicle involved in the first shooting, pulled up near the gate, and several people opened fire.

During the second shooting, base security officials returned fire, Ms. Antosh said.

“There are no threats to the installation,” Ms. Antosh said, adding that it was unclear whether the shooters were firing at the gate or security personnel.

“It really seemed more like it was a random act,” she said.

The shootings occurred near the main gate to the Chapman Training Annex, a 24-hour entryway to Lackland Air Force Base. The gate was briefly closed on Saturday after the second shooting.

Just south and east of the gate are residential areas for civilians, Ms. Antosh said.

Joint Air Force Base San Antonio includes Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base, Randolph Air Force Base and Camp Bullis.