Arlington County Police responded with lights and sirens blaring to a report of shots fired near the intersection of Route 50 and N. Pershing Drive this afternoon, only to figure out that it was almost certainly from a drill at the military base across the street.
Police responded around 2:15 p.m. for a report of a man firing shots at the Days Inn motel, as relayed by a caller who was driving by on Route 50.
Responding officers quickly determined that the shots were almost certainly from what was described as “a 21-gun salute” drill at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, and that the woman who called had heard the shots echoing off the hotel, according to scanner traffic. The woman also reported a suspicious-looking man walking down the highway at the time.
No evidence of gunfire was found at the hotel.
As of 2:30 p.m., police were clearing the call. The incident happened as a gun store prepares to open on N. Pershing Drive, just down the block from the motel, prompting safety concerns from community groups.