Sen. Scott demanding answers in NAS Pensacola deadly shooting

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WEAR) — Florida Senator Rick Scott is continuing to demand answers linked to a United States foreigner training program following the NAS Pensacola shooting.

Channel 3 News obtained an interview with Sen. Scott on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. He arrived in the city of Pensacola hours after the shooting calling for a suspension of the program and tighter security.

He also visited NAS Pensacola, OneBlood and the hospital hearing stories of heroism firsthand.

“[My] heart goes out to the families who lost their loved ones, but clearly individuals both that lost their lives and people in the hospital, wish I had the opportunity to sit down with these heroes because if they hadn't shown up and did everything they could to stop this shooter and in the case of [Joshua] Kaleb Watson, let the sheriff know where he was, more people would have died”, Sen. Scott said.

Channel 3 News has heard stories of members from the U.S. Marines and the U.S. Navy use their training to fight back, rescue the wounded and barricade themselves in areas for safety.

Sen. Scott told Channel 3 News he can’t imagine an act like this could happen on a U.S. military base. The Senator said vetting the first step and suspending the program is the first step.

“You know, I was in the military, I was in the Navy, I never would have imagined I was on a military base and I was not safe, so clearly, something's gotta change..Step One, we've gotta understand how we need to vet better," Sen. Scott said.

“Step two, until we know what's gonna happen, we ought to just shut own the program. We shouldn't, (repeated) we shouldn't be putting people at risk”, the Senator stressed.

Sen. Scott says he spoke with the Ambassador to the U.S. from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Scott said the kingdom has committed to cooperate fully with the United States in investigating Friday's attack.

“There's wonderful people here in this country from all over the world, Florida is a melting pot, but there's also radical Islam,” Sen. Scott said.

“We've got to deal with radical Islam. They hate us," he added.

He is demanding the Saudi government fully cooperate and not allow any of the students to return until they have worked with the FBI.

The Senator adds if anybody's done anything wrong the Saudi government must hold them accountable.

Senator Rick Scott, also the former Governor of Florida, vows to protect the United States and our military.