US Soldier Shoots Herself Dead at Virginia Army Base

A U.S. soldier shot herself dead with a pistol at the Army Base in Fort Lee, Virginia, on Monday, officials said.

The incident took place at the Combined Arms Support Command Headquarters in Fort Lee, Virginia. The soldier entered the building and barricaded herself in an office. As the police tried to talk her out of it she shot herself in the head, reports Chicago Tribune.

She was pronounced dead at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond.

The base was locked down while the soldier was barricaded on the third floor of the four-story building, Fort Lee officials said, according to ABC news.

Some people evacuated the building and others took shelter inside as the Army issued an alert. The police also took action within two minutes, officials said. The identity of the soldier will be released 24 hours after informing her relatives, they added.  

Major General Stephen R. Lyons, who took charge as the commanding general of the support command on Friday, said that the situation could have been worse.

"We are sad for our soldier in arms that she faced those kinds of challenges she had to resort to those kinds of actions," Lyons said.

Lyons said that Army officials are left in the dark as to the cause of the soldier's behavior. They had no idea whether the soldier was treated for mental health problems or whether alcohol or drugs played a part, he said, according to ABC news.

Lyons also said that the soldier appeared troubled and furious during the happening.

He could not say whether this was a part of her personality, he added.

The soldier had served 14 years in the Army and had the rank of sergeant first class. She had been at Fort Lee for three years. In 2007, she had gone to Iraq on a 15-month deployment, officials said, according to The Wall Street Journal.