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Capitol police officer killed after man rammed car at checkpoint
The unidentified man stepped out of the vehicle armed with a knife and was shot by police, a Capitol official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The suspect died shortly after, Pittman said.
US Capitol Police shot and killed a man who rammed a car into a security checkpoint outside the Capitol building on Friday, injuring one officer and killing another, acting Chief Yogananda Pittman said.
The unidentified man stepped out of the vehicle armed with a knife and was shot by police, a Capitol official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The suspect died shortly after, Pittman said.
The two officers were hospitalised and Pittman said “it is with very heavy heart one of the officers has succumbed to his injuries.”
At this time it does not appear to be an ongoing threat,” said Robert Contee, chief of Washington metro police. “It does not appear to be terrorism related.” He said the investigation is continuing.
Video footage from the scene showed that the car had been driving fast enough for the airbag to deploy when it hit the security barricade.
The authorities said in a statement that the incident occurred at a “vehicle access point” on the Senate side of the Capitol along Constitution Avenue in Washington D.C.
“A suspect is in custody. Both officers are injured. All three have been transported to the hospital,” the police said in a tweet.
The Capitol was on security lockdown, with no one allowed to enter or exit buildings, but they are allowed to move within the campus of buildings.
The Capitol has been under heavy security since the Jan. 6 attack on the building by supporters of former President Donald Trump while Congress was voting to certify the 2020 election in Joe Biden’s favor. Some perimeter fencing has since been removed, but not all of it.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted that he was “praying for the United States Capitol Police officers” and “grateful” to first responders on the scene.
