U.S. Capitol Police shot a man at the Capitol Visitor Center on Monday afternoon after he drew a weapon during a routine security screening, Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police Matthew Verderosa said at a news conference.
Verderosa said the man pulled “what appeared to be a weapon” and an officer shot him. The suspect is currently undergoing surgery and his condition is not known. A weapon was recovered at the scene.
Verderosa did not confirm the identity of the man but said the “suspect is known” to the Capitol Police from prior contact and there is “no reason to believe this is anything more than a criminal act.” The incident is under investigation.
An uninvolved woman also suffered injuries that appeared to be minor, Verderosa said.
A lockdown at the Capitol Complex was lifted shortly after the suspect was apprehended.
Early news reports said at least one officer had been wounded; these reports were incorrect.
Staffers, reporters and others had been told to “shelter in place” and were not being allowed to exit or enter any buildings. Congress is currently in recess. The Senate Sergeant-At-Arms Office said that the Capitol is open for official business.
The White House was briefly put on lockdown, according to news reports.
Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department tweeted that there “is no active threat to the public.”
The Associated Press reported that “visitors were being turned away from the Capitol as emergency vehicles flooded the street and the plaza on the building’s eastern side. Police, some carrying long guns, cordoned off the streets immediately around the building, which were thick with tourists visiting for spring holidays and the Cherry Blossom Festival.”
The Visitor Center is part of the U.S. Capitol Complex, a group of about a dozen buildings in Washington, according to its website. The center opened in 2008 and serves as an underground screening point for visitors to the U.S. Capitol. After years of discussion about a facility for visitors, construction on the center began after the 1998 killing of two U.S. Capitol Police officers at the ground floor entrance.
This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.
