Capitol officer was killed by car striking him, D.C. police say

WASHINGTON — The man who drove his car into two U.S. Capitol Police officers standing in front of a steel barricade on Friday was shot and killed by a third officer after he climbed out of his car wielding a knife, District of Columbia police said Monday. One of the two officers died of his injuries, and the other was released from a hospital Saturday.

The police news release made clear that Billy Evans, an 18-year veteran of the Capitol Police, and a second officer whose name has not been released, were not stabbed by their assailant and did not fire their weapons. The police formally confirmed Monday that Noah Green, 25, was the driver who rammed the two officers and was shot dead.

Green's family had expressed sympathy for the two officers and said he was suffering from "depression and potential mental illness."

The D.C. police released a photo of the knife Green brought to the Capitol.

About 90 minutes before the attack, Green had purchased a knife from a shop in D.C., the shop's owner told The Washington Post. It was not clear whether it was the same knife used in the assault.

The knife cost $300 and was sold by District Cutlery, shop owner Derek Swanson said Sunday. Swanson had video footage showing Green moving from cabinet to cabinet, examining the knives.

Green chose the Kurosaki Shizuku Sujihiki Slicing Knife, which Swanson described as typically used for culinary activities such as cutting a Thanksgiving turkey. The knife, Swanson said, could have inflicted harm on one person but may have broken during the stabbing or soon after.

"It's a delicate knife," Swanson said. "It never occurred to me how intimidating it might be to someone who didn't know what it was."

Green appeared calm while perusing the shop, dressed in a white sweatshirt, jeans and a blue surgical mask, according to the video and Swanson. He did not interact with District Cutlery staff until the end of his visit, when he appeared to ask an employee to ring him up.

He paid with a credit card and left the store at 11:28 a.m., Swanson said, 22 minutes after arriving and about 90 minutes before he would attack the two Capitol Police officers.

Swanson said nothing struck him as unusual about Green. He said he only found out about the connection when the FBI showed up at his store on Saturday, and he said he provided them with a credit card receipt for the knife purchase.

In a statement, Green's family members said he "was not a terrorist by any means." They said that he began to "experience hardships" after his graduation from Christopher Newport University and that they were shocked by his actions.