Lockdown on US base after soldier turns gun on herself

An Army official described the soldier as "enraged" but did not specify what about

A soldier barricaded herself inside an office on a Virginia Army base before shooting herself in the head, Army officials have said.

The unnamed officer was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital on Monday.

The US Army's Fort Lee base was put on lockdown for part of the morning after a report of an "active shooter".

Maj Gen Stephen Lyons said the soldier was talking to negotiators before firing a small gun that was not her service weapon.

"This situation could've been worse," he told reporters during a press conference earlier on Monday, adding no-one else was hurt.

He described the soldier as "enraged" but did not say what about.

"We are sad for our solider in arms that she faced those types of challenges that she thought she had to resort to those kind of actions," said Maj Gen Lyons.

The soldier held the rank of sergeant first class, and was previously deployed to Iraq in 2007. Army officials said they were withholding her identity until family members were notified.

Gen Lyons told reporters the soldier was alone in a third-floor office while negotiators spoke to her from outside a closed door.

He added those talking to her believed they were making progress when they heard a gunshot.

The all-clear on Fort Lee was sounded at 09:50 local time (13:50 GMT), about an hour after the base went on lockdown.

In April, three soldiers were killed and 16 wounded when army Specialist Ivan Lopez opened fire at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas before taking his own life.

The same base was also the scene of a 2009 rampage in which 13 soldiers were killed and 32 wounded by Maj Nidal Hasan.

In September 2013, Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old former US Navy reservist, killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard.

Michael Brown 'no angel' controversy

The New York Times is under fire for its profile of Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager who was shot to death by police in Ferguson, Missouri, on 9 August.

The article, which was published on Sunday, the day before Mr Brown's funeral, paints an intimate portrait of his life. It also reveals some of the personal struggles he faced in the days leading up to his death.

"Michael Brown, 18, due to be buried on Monday, was no angel, with public records and interviews with friends and family revealing both problems and promise in his young life," writes John Eligon for the New York Times.

Although the piece by Eligon, who is black, is largely sympathetic to the family and memory of Mr Brown, the words "no angel" have stirred up a media frenzy, with some questioning and castigating the New York Times for using the expression.

"So I suppose that, when an undercover officer came upon me and two friends smoking cigarettes and drinking beer on a park bench that night, he could have shot us dead, and then the Times could have reported that we were no angels," writes Matthew Yglesias for Vox, recounting a story of his own teenage indiscretions.

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It's as if a black person must be a perfect victim to escape being thuggified”

ToureThe Washington Post

Some critics consider Mr Brown's illicit activities a normal part of being a teenager, and not an indictment on his character.

"Teenagers, white and black, rich and poor, are often emotionally volatile, dabble with drugs, listen to rap, attempt to rap and commit petty crimes. Does that mean they deserve to be shot?" asks Christopher Massie for the Columbia Journalism Review.

If that's the case, the argument goes, the use of the term 'no angel' takes on racial overtones.

"As with most mainstream media, when it comes to victims of colour, they continue to be victimised and criminalised even in their death," writesYesha Callahan for the Root.

The controversy echoes remarks by New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani following the 2000 police shooting of Patrick Dorismond, who was killed outside of a nightclub after shoving undercover officers. The mayor said the 26-year-old security guard was "no alter boy". It turned out that Dorismond had, in fact, been an alter boy.

A frequent topic of debate is how the use of the term "no angel" plays into cultural stereotypes perpetuated by the media.

"It's as if a black person must be a perfect victim to escape being thuggified, an angel with an unblemished history in order to warrant justice," writes author Toure for the Washington Post. "The burden of the perfect victim suggests that only impeccable resumes may qualify for protection under the law and the support of the community."

When asked about the "no angel" debacle, New York Times editor Alison Mitchell told the Washington Post: "I think, actually, we have a nuanced story about the young man and if it had been a white young man in the same exact situation, if that's where our reporting took us, we would have written it in the same way."

But after the hashtag #noangel had garnered nearly 3,000 mentions in less than a day, New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan weighed in.

"In my view, the timing of the article (on the day of Mr Brown's funeral) was not ideal," she wrote on Monday afternoon. "And 'no angel' was a blunder."

Sullivan added that reporting, even in the aftermath of someone's death, should not hide details of someone's life.

"[Eligon] said he thought it was important to address parts of Mr Brown's background that are less positive, especially because doing so allowed those close to him to comment," Sullivan writes. "I came away from the profile with a deeper sense of who Michael Brown was, and an even greater sense of sorrow at the circumstances of his death."

(By Annie Waldman)