Barksdale Faces Two Lockdowns
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative file photo. A 2nd Security Forces Squadron airman guards a B 52H Stratofortress at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, during Global Thunder in November 2021. Barksdale was locked down twice on Sept. 18, 2026, including after a shooting victim gained unauthorized access to the installation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Chase Sullivan)
Barksdale Air Force Base was placed on lockdown twice within hours Friday after two unrelated security incidents, including one in which a man who had been shot outside the installation made it onto the base without authorization.
The Louisiana installation is headquarters of Air Force Global Strike Command and home to the 2nd Bomb Wing, which operates B 52H Stratofortress bombers.
The first lockdown began Friday morning after officials received a report of an active shooter threat.
Barksdale emergency personnel responded and eventually cleared the incident.
No base personnel were injured, and officials said there was no continuing threat once the response ended.
The Air Force has not publicly explained what prompted the active shooter report, whether a weapon was located, or whether anyone was detained.
Several hours later, the base went into lockdown again.
At approximately 12:53 p.m., an injured man gained unauthorized access to the installation, according to Barksdale officials.
Local police said the man had been shot in a nearby neighborhood before crashing his vehicle and fleeing on foot onto the base.
Bossier City police said officers initially responded to Gibson Circle near the Barksdale Annex for a reported shooting.
Investigators said the victim was shot, crashed his vehicle a short distance away and then traveled on foot onto Barksdale.
Local reporting said he may have been attempting to find help.
The man was later transported to Ochsner Medical Center with injuries police described as potentially life threatening.
His unauthorized entry triggered another major security response.
Base personnel were instructed to barricade in place and prioritize their safety. Installation facilities closed, and entry onto Barksdale was temporarily prohibited while security personnel searched the area.
The Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office and Bossier City Police Department sent personnel to assist base security with the search.
Barksdale announced the all clear at approximately 1:42 p.m.
No base employees were injured, and officials said there was no continuing threat to the installation.
Officials stressed that the two incidents were unrelated.
The first involved a reported active shooter threat inside or involving the installation.
The second began with a shooting outside the base and ended when the wounded victim crossed onto Barksdale without authorization.
Col. Chris Cain, commander of the 2nd Bomb Wing, praised emergency personnel following the incidents and said routine training helped responders handle the situations quickly.
The circumstances surrounding the first threat remain under investigation.
Bossier City Police are separately investigating the shooting and unauthorized entry involved in the second lockdown.
The two incidents temporarily halted normal activity at one of the most strategically important Air Force installations in the United States.
Barksdale serves as headquarters for Air Force Global Strike Command, the organization responsible for the Air Force's bomber and land based nuclear missile forces.
(Source: OAF Nation)
