UPDATE 3:30 PM:

A member of the color guard was returning equipment that looked like riffle cases at the El Paso VA, leading to a lockdown at the building for more than three hours, Fort Bliss officials said Friday afternoon.

Officials said law enforcement received a report at about 11:55 a.m. Friday about an individual at the VA in the vicinity of William Beaumont Army Medical Center carrying what appeared to be a rifle.

Officials said the situation is now clear, calling the incident a "non-event." The lockdown was lifted and the entry gates to the medical center were reopened.

Color guards present flags at ceremonial occasions, often including the national flag, state flag and the flag of the unit or institution they represent, among others.

Workers returned to the building, including maintenance worker Rosa Ordoñez, who had reported to work just as the lockdown began.

Ordoñez, who has worked at Beaumont for 17 years, said she usually works the night shift but was asked to report to work at noon because of the Good Friday holiday.

She was asked to complete her shift after the lockdown was lifted, she said.

UPDATE 3:10 PM:

Officials began evacuating people from the Veterans Administration building at about 2:30 p.m. Friday after being on lockdown for more than two hours, officials said via Twitter.

William Beaumont Army Medical Center on Twitter said in-patients will not be evacuated, but that some non-essential personnel will be evacuated by law enforcement.

"Do not make any sudden or aggressive movements," Beaumont posted on Twitter as it directed people at the clinic to begin evacuating. "Follow all orders from the clearing team. Instructions are provided once building cleared."

The VA building was put on lockdown as police searched for a man who was reportedly carrying riffle cases and ammunition cans.

An Army veteran inside the El Paso VA who was seeing his doctor when the lockdown was ordered said he could see FBI agents and other officials searching the building.

U.S. Army veteran Trellis Day took this photo of law enforcement agents sweeping the grounds at the El Paso Veterans Administration building Friday, when a lockdown was ordered after reports of a suspect carrying what looked like ammo cans and riffle cases.

Photo Credit: Courtesy Trellis Day

U.S. Army veteran Trellis Day took this photo of law enforcement agents sweeping the grounds at the El Paso Veterans Administration building Friday, when a lockdown was ordered after reports of a suspect carrying what looked like ammo cans and riffle cases. (Photo: Courtesy Trellis Day)

"I can see outside the window of my doctor's office and they told us that the guy (suspect) was in the stairwell of the building," U.S. Army veteran Trellis Day told the El Paso Times by phone Friday. "But law enforcement left the area so I don't think he was there. They are letting us move around the building now."

He added, "I can see FBI agents searching the area around the VA and Beaumont for bombs, but they haven't told us anything yet. So we are just waiting."

UPDATE 2 PM:

Fort Bliss officials at about 1:50 p.m. Friday said law enforcement agents have not yet confirmed that the suspect was carrying a real weapon.

"While not yet confirmed as a real weapon, all have been asked to shelter in place until security personnel clear the area," Fort Bliss officials said in a statement. "Law enforcement continues to inspect traffic to and from the area for any individuals meeting the description provided."

Officials said law enforcement received a report at about 11:55 a.m. Friday about an individual in the vicinity of William Beaumont Army Medical Center carrying what appeared to be a rifle.

ORIGINAL STORY

The El Paso VA Health Care System building next to William Beaumont Army Medical Center is on lock down as police officials search for a man reportedly carrying rifle cases and ammunition cans.

Beaumont officials at about 12:30 p.m. Friday on Twitter called for a Code White, asking everybody in the area to "shelter in place" as military police and other law enforcement agencies look for a man described as a white male wearing a tan-colored T-shirt and black shorts carrying two soft riffle cases and ammo cans.

The individual was last seen near the first floor dining facility courtyard adjacent to a bus stop, officials said via Twitter.

The El Paso Police Department and the Fort Bliss Military Police are on scene assisting with the incident. The U.S. Border Patrol helicopter was also seen patrolling the area around the medical center and nearby neighborhoods.

An unidentified law enforcement officer halts traffic along Pierce Ave. at the intersection with N. Piedras Street behind the Veterans Administration clinic Friday afternoon. The clinic is visible behind and to the left of the officer.

A law enforcement officer halts traffic along Pierce Avenue at the intersection with North Piedras Street behind the El Paso Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic Friday afternoon.

Photo Credit: RUDY GUTIERREZ/EL PASO TIMES

The entrance to the medical center located on Fred Wilson Avenue was closed by law enforcement, and traffic in the area is being rerouted.

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