Two dead after Capitol attack
‘‘This is the second attack on the Capitol in just three months, and it has become clear the Capitol is increasingly seen as a target.’’ Dianne Feinstein California Senator
A US Capitol Police officer was killed yesterday after a car rammed a security barricade protecting the complex, locking down the building for two hours and reigniting tensions in a city still struggling to return to normalcy after the deadly January 6 insurrection.
According to Capitol Police, a male driver drove his car into two officers and then crashed into the barricade. The driver exited the vehicle with a knife, ‘‘lunged’’ at one of the officers and was shot by police, officials said.
The suspect was taken into custody. He and the two injured officers were transported to hospitals, where one officer and the suspect died, officials said.
‘‘It is with a very, very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries,’’ said Yogananda Pittman, acting chief of the US Capitol Police. ‘‘This has been an extremely difficult time for the US Capitol Police.’’ She later identified the officer as William ‘‘Billy’’ Evans, an 18-year veteran of the Capitol Police force who was a member of the Capitol Division’s first responder’s unit.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called Evans a ‘‘martyr for our democracy’’ and ordered flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff.
The officer’s death is the second in the line of duty for the US Capitol Police this year. Officer Brian Sicknick was killed during the insurrection. Two other officers died by suicide in the weeks after that attack. Prior to this year, a total
of four Capitol Police officers had died in the line of duty in the history of the force, according to US Capitol Police.
The incident does not appear to be related to terrorism, according to Robert Contee, acting chief of DC Metropolitan Police.
‘‘We need to understand the motivation,’’ he said.
Pittman said Capitol Police did not have the suspect on file and there were no early indications that the incident was related to a threat to any specific member of Congress.
The blue sedan appeared to hit a barrier that can be raised while Capitol Police search a
vehicle and verify its occupants’ identities.
At approximately 1.10pm local time, Capitol staff members were instructed by Capitol Police to remain indoors and away from external windows due to an ‘‘external security threat.’’ Video shot by reporters on the scene showed at least two dozen National Guardsmen running in a line toward the intersection as people trying to enter the building were directed away. Other uniformed security forces were deployed around the area. Another video showed what appeared to be a Park Service helicopter landing on the lawn on the East Front of the Capitol.
Tensions have been high in Washington since the Jan. 6 insurrection, when mobs of violent supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol.
‘‘It did bring back memories of January 6,’’ Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told CNN.
The large black fencing and enhanced security that enclosed the sprawling Capitol complex in the wake of that attack had started to come down in recent weeks. The security perimeter shrank, although the fencing is still at the intersection on the north side of the complex where the incident took place.
Security recommendations have called for additional permanent fencing at the Capitol, but lawmakers of both parties have been hesitant to embrace it, worried about the optics of Congress walling itself off from the public. The incident is likely to reignite those conversations.
In 2016, Capitol Police shot a man who tried to bring a fake Beretta into the Capitol Visitor’s Center.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein called for a review of all of the Capitol’s security provisions. ‘‘This is the second attack on the Capitol in just three months, and it has become clear the Capitol is increasingly seen as a target,’’ she said.
Congress is on recess for the spring holidays this week, meaning the Capitol complex had far fewer people than normal. The vast majority of lawmakers were expected to be in their districts and not in the Capitol. On a recess day, the building is still populated by staff members, reporters and police officers.