(Washington Navy Yard/Creative Commons)

The worker requested anonymity for privacy reasons.

READ MORE: Other D.C. accounts of Monday's shooting.

"I arrived at work shortly after 8 a.m. and received notice around 8:45 a.m. that there was an active shooter on base and to stay away from windows. Our office wasn’t the building that the shooter was inside of, but it was a few buildings away. No one in my office seemed alarmed to the extent that they had to run and hide under their desk. At the time, we just assumed that if we were getting this information the situation was already contained.

We didn’t know yet that there could possibly be a second shooter.

We were in our building for pretty much the whole day until 6 p.m. and during that time we got updates every 30 minutes or so. As the day went on we learned that people had been shot and killed. Then, the next update was that one or two other shooters could be walking around with guns. That was the most concerning part. There are maybe ten other buildings, so there was a one in 10 chance that someone with a gun could just pop into your building.

We knew we couldn’t go anywhere, so no one was running down the stairwell trying to escape. The FBI was basically telling us what to do. The mood in our office was very sad and concerned. A lot of people were nervous and taking phone calls from family and friends but no one was panicking. I contacted my family in Ft. Lauderdale and let them know I was fine. They were basically on the edge of their seats."

After 10 hours on lockdown, the worker and the rest of her colleagues could finally go home. The buildings were evacuated in shifts, and everyone was interviewed by the FBI before being allowed to leave the premises.

"They took it in shifts because they didn’t want everyone leaving at the same time. All the entrances and exits were closed because they only wanted one main exit, so that they could contain security. All personnel on site had to leave their vehicles and they weren't being told when they can go back and get their cars. A lot of employees commute from Maryland and Virginia, or even Pennsylvania, so they had to take a cab or find someone to give them a ride home. I’m lucky because I live off of the Metro system, so I was able to use the public transportation to get home."

Employees were instructed to stay home Tuesday as the FBI continued to investigate the scene. The break was a reprieve for those still recovering from the terrible ordeal they faced Monday.

"It was a very long day. In my office, everyone's emotions were so heightened mainly because we know people who work in that building. I have a friend who works there and I was very concerned when I hadn’t heard from her all day. When she was able to leave, she texted everyone that she was okay, but it was emotionally and mentally draining. She is traumatized, knowing that she was in that building, hearing the gunshots, and knowing that people she worked with are dead. It’s just awful."

After following the media coverage of the event back at home, she was not surprised to learn that the shooter was a military contractor and former Navy reservist.

"I think it shed light on the fact that anyone can have mental illness and do something like this. It doesn’t have to be a terrorist attack, which at first I think that’s what everyone thought. It’s not always easy to spot a person that can be a potential attacker. It made sense that if he was a military contractor he would have more access and clearance. So, that made more sense to me."

The worker believes that lax security was a main factor in why this attack occurred. 

"When you go to a military base, it’s public knowledge that they don’t have to check your vehicle. I think security should be a little tighter. You shouldn’t be able to roll onto the base with anything you want in your car. People who come on foot don’t usually bring a lot with them, but I think that they should be metal detected. My concern was that this person had to walk from their car to the building with these weapons. Why weren’t they stopped? I think that’s still something that the investigation is trying to figure out. It concerns me because now I have to go back to work realizing that there’s this vulnerability. If there was a metal detector and a car check I don’t think that person could have gotten on base with weapons."

Discussion over stronger gun control laws reemerged in light of Monday's shooting, but the worker does not think that would solve the problem.

"I understand that there are HIPAA laws, but I think there should be a way for medical records to be shared. There should be a background check on individuals to see if they have a significant history of mental illness before giving them guns. I think that people should be allowed to have guns. I don’t think that restricting guns or getting rid of guns is the answer. People still need to feel that they have the right to bear arms if they feel at risk and they are responsible. You can’t eliminate all risk in life. There’s always going to be crazy people so there will always be a threat, but you can take precautions to minimize the threat."

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage of the Navy Yard shooting.

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