Probe of deadly car attack centers on mental decline

WASHINGTON — The man who rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol, killing one of them before he was shot to death by police, had been suffering from delusions, paranoia and suicidal thoughts, a U.S. official said Saturday.

Investigators believe the attack was an isolated incident from a disturbed young man.

Video of the Friday afternoon attack shows the driver emerging from the crashed car with a knife in his hand and starting to run at the pair of officers, said Capitol Police acting Chief Yogananda Pittman. Police shot the suspect, 25yearold Noah Green, who died at a hospital.

Investigators are increasingly focused on Green’s mental health as they work to identify any motive for the attack, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said investigators had talked to Green’s family, who spoke of his increasingly delusional thoughts.

In online posts since removed, Green described being under government thought control and said he was being watched. He described himself as a follower of the Nation of Islam and its longtime leader, Louis Farrakhan, and spoke of going through a difficult time when he leaned on his faith. Some of the messages were captured by the group SITE, which tracks online activity.

“To be honest these past few years have been tough, and these past few months have been tougher,” he wrote in late March. “I am currently now unemployed after I left my job partly due to afflictions, but ultimately, in search of a spiritual journey.”

It was the second lineofduty death this year for the U.S. Capitol Police, still struggling to heal from the Jan. 6 insurrection. The attack underscored that the building and campus — and the officers charged with protecting them — remain potential targets for violence.

Police identified the slain officer as William “Billy” Evans, an 18year veteran who was a member of the department’s first responders unit.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hailed Evans as a “martyr for our democracy,” while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he is “heartbroken.” Pelosi and

Schumer both spoke Friday with members of Evans’ family.

President Biden said in a statement that he and first lady Jill Biden are heartbroken and expressed condolences to Evans’ family. He directed flags at the White House to be lowered to halfstaff.

Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press U.S. Capitol Police officers salute Friday as the procession carrying the remains of Officer William “Billy” Evans passes. The man who killed Evans was fatally shot by officers.