Fatal breach could delay decisions about fencing
WASHINGTON — The latest deadly breach of the Capitol’s perimeter could delay the gradual reopening of the building’s grounds to the public just as lawmakers were eyeing a return to more normal security measures following the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Capitol Police officer William “Billy” Evans, an 18year veteran of the force, was killed Friday when a man rammed his car into a barrier outside the Senate side of the building. The driver, identified as 25yearold Noah Green, was shot and killed after he ran his car into Evans and another officer, got out and lunged at police with a knife.
The deaths came less than two weeks after the Capitol Police removed an outer fence that had temporarily cut off a wide swath of the area to cars and pedestrians, blocking major traffic arteries that cross the city. The fencing had been erected to secure the Capitol after the violent mob of of thenPresident Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the building Jan. 6., interrupting the certification of President Biden’s victory. The violence lead to the deaths of five people, including a Capitol Police officer.
Police have left intact a second ring of fencing around the inner perimeter of the Capitol as they struggle to figure out how to best protect the building and those who work inside it. That tall, dark fencing — parts of it covered in razor wire until just recently — is still a stark symbol of the fear many in the Capitol felt after the mob laid siege two months ago.
Lawmakers almost universally loathe the fencing, saying the seat of American democracy is meant to be open to the people, even if there are always going to be threats. But after Friday’s attack, some said they needed to proceed with caution.
“It’s an eyesore, it sucks,” Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio said about the fencing. “Nobody wants that there. But the question is, is the environment safe enough to be able to take it down?”
Ryan, chairman of a House spending committee that oversees security and the Capitol, stressed that no decisions had been made, and that lawmakers would be “reviewing everything” after the latest deadly incident.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said in a statement Saturday that Evans’ death “has only added to the need to address security at the Capitol in a comprehensive way” after the January breach.
Despite the fencing, Friday’s breach happened inside the perimeter. The driver slipped through a gate that had opened to allow traffic in and out of the Capitol and rammed a barrier that had protected the building long before Jan. 6. There is no evidence that Green’s actions were in any way related to the insurrection.
Sen. Roy Blunt, RMo., said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that the permanent fencing should come down. “I don’t think it does the job. In fact, the fencing was right there when the car drove through,” he said.
Still, Friday’s incident was a reminder that there is always a target on one of the country’s most visible public buildings, especially as political tensions have risen since the insurrection.
“This may just cause everybody to pump the brakes a bit on taking the fence down entirely,” said Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton of Virginia, another member of the spending panel that oversees the legislative branch.