WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – A motorist rammed a vehicle into US Capitol police on Friday (April 2) and brandished a knife, killing one officer and injuring another and forcing the Capitol complex to lock down in an attack that police said did not immediately appear to be terrorism-related.
Police responded by firing on the suspect, who died.
Yogananda Pittman, acting chief of the US Capitol Police, told a news conference that the suspect drove into the officers, then hit a barricade and got out of the car, lunging at them with a knife in his hand.
“It is with a very, very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.
The other officer was injured, she said.
The Capitol Police later identified the slain officer as William “Billy” Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force.
“It does not appear to be terrorism-related but obviously we’ll continue to investigate,” said Robert Contee, acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington.
President Joe Biden said he was heartbroken by the attack and ordered flags at the White House be lowered to half-mast.
In a statement, he said he was being briefed on the investigation.
The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources familiar with the investigation, named the suspect as Noah Green and reported that one of its sources said Green had an address in Virginia.
Many of the thousands of National Guard troops posted at the building in January had also been sent home.
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/...lex-on-lockdown-after-security-threat-witness
