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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.
Multiple media organisations, citing anonymous sources, named the suspect as Noah Green, 25, of Newport News, Virginia.
Green’s brother told the Washington Post that his sibling struggled with drug use and paranoia and his family worried about his mental state.
According to media reports, Green spoke on Facebook about the “end times”, the anti-Christ, and government “mind control”.
He also said he was unemployed after leaving his job, “partly due to afflictions,” and praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
Facebook said in a statement that it removed the suspect’s accounts from Facebook and Instagram and were in contact with law enforcement.
Brendan Green told the Washington Post his brother had been violently ill on Thursday evening at the Virginia apartment they shared, and later sent him a text message saying that he planned to become homeless.
Police said the suspect was unknown to them, they had yet to determine what had motivated him, and they did not identify him.
“Clearly, this was someone who was actively trying to just get at whoever or whatever – we just don’t know right now,” Contee said.
“Whether the attack was at law enforcement, or whoever, we have a responsibility to get to the bottom of it and we’ll do that.”
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.
Multiple media organisations, citing anonymous sources, named the suspect as Noah Green, 25, of Newport News, Virginia.
Green’s brother told the Washington Post that his sibling struggled with drug use and paranoia and his family worried about his mental state.
According to media reports, Green spoke on Facebook about the “end times”, the anti-Christ, and government “mind control”.
He also said he was unemployed after leaving his job, “partly due to afflictions,” and praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
Facebook said in a statement that it removed the suspect’s accounts from Facebook and Instagram and were in contact with law enforcement.
Brendan Green told the Washington Post his brother had been violently ill on Thursday evening at the Virginia apartment they shared, and later sent him a text message saying that he planned to become homeless.
Police said the suspect was unknown to them, they had yet to determine what had motivated him, and they did not identify him.
“Clearly, this was someone who was actively trying to just get at whoever or whatever – we just don’t know right now,” Contee said.
“Whether the attack was at law enforcement, or whoever, we have a responsibility to get to the bottom of it and we’ll do that.”
