US police on Monday shot a man who pointed a gun at them in a screening area just outside the US capitol in Washington DC, briefly unnerving the city a week after the bombings in Brussels.
As the scene unfolded in the entrance to the Capitol Visitor Center and law enforcement swept the capitol complex, employees and visitors inside were forced to shelter in place for almost an hour. Others who were on the grounds were asked to evacuate as police cordoned off the site and nearby streets.
The man and a female bystander who suffered minor injuries were rushed to a nearby hospital, law enforcement officials said. The man’s condition was not known. Law enforcement officials quickly ruled out terrorism, saying that they were convinced the man - who they said was “known to us” - had acted alone.
“There is no reason to believe that this is anything more than a criminal act,” said Chief Matthew Verderosa of the US capitol police. With congress on recess this week, few lawmakers or their staff members were in the capitol at the time of the shooting. But for the families, school groups and others who were touring the complex, the incident turned an otherwise laid-back spring day into a chaotic afternoon.
David Espinosa, a contractor working to restore the capitol’s exterior, was on scaffolding when he heard screaming from the plaza below. When he looked down, he said he saw police officers with guns drawn moving past fleeing visitors. Mr Espinosa (27) said he then saw law enforcement officials wheel a stretcher out of the capitol.
Dave and Sue Jones, of Long Valley, New Jersey, were in the visitor centre auditorium watching an introductory video about the capitol when they heard a commotion.
“There was shouting that was definitely not part of the movie,” Sue Jones (66) said a few minutes after being escorted out of the capitol. “And I could hear that through the walls.” At a news conference about two hours after the shooting, Mr Verderosa did not say how the police had previously interacted with the man. But he said that the authorities had recovered a weapon that was believed to be his, and located a vehicle that belonged to him on Capitol grounds. Mr Verderosa said the authorities were obtaining a warrant to search the car.
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