In April, a man shot himself to death on the Capitol building's west front in an apparent suicide. There have been several previous incidents of gunfire on the Capitol grounds. Tour group leaders said no reason was given, and there was no confusion or commotion, but that students learned the reason for the forced move within 30 seconds by checking news on their cell phones. At G and 2nd Street Northeast, group of 80 high school students from California rested at a park after being moved from the Library of Congress. People who were near the Capitol building were led elsewhere. "Nobody can guarantee you a risk free society." "You have to think that the police are going to do everything they can to keep you safe," Grassley said. He said the incident does not cause him to worry more about safety on Capitol grounds. He said the shooting may have occurred outside the walls of the Capitol but only "about one hundred feet from where people were murdered" in a shooting in 1998. Senate judiciary committee chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said that he was informed of the shooting ahead of a town hall meeting in Ocheyedan, Iowa, and was assured that his staff was safe. But staffers are at work throughout the complex, and spring is an extremely popular season for tourists to visit. Capitol Police are continuing to investigate."īoth the House and Senate are in recess this week for the Easter holiday so very few, if any lawmakers, were present on the Capitol campus. The email continued: "One suspect is in custody, no further suspects appear to be at large, however the U.S. An email went out to Hill staffers warning them to keep sheltering in place but said, "No further gunshots being reported." The initial report of shots fired prompted lockdowns at the Capitol buildings and the White House. "He was calm, I was scared," added his 8-year-old sister Lucy.Įventually, officials told them there had been a shooting - though Kai Gudmestad said he had already figured that much out from Twitter. "It happened very fast," said Eli, her 10-year-old son, who described the experience as "more confusing" than the fire and tornado drills he's been through at school. The family said they did not hear gunshots. "There was just yelling and they told us to get down, and then the officers got us into the theater," Amy Gudmestad said. "My husband said he heard a shot followed by a full clip," Bilo said.Īmy and Kai Gudmestad of Minneapolis were at the visitor's center with their two children for a tour when, all of a sudden, officers started yelling at them to get down. Outside the Capitol, Diane Bilo from Ohio was waiting for her husband and two of their children to emerge. Other families inside the theater said it was strangely calm as they heard the intercom blare a pre-recorded announcement about an "active shooter." Trevor Kussman, a textile executive visiting with his wife and children from Chicago, said his family was inside the visitor's center watching an educational movie when an announcement was made about "shots being fired." The movie continued to play, but some people got up to leave. ![]() "There is no active threat to the public," police said in the tweet. In a tweet sent about 3:15 p.m., District of Columbia police reported that there was an "isolated incident at the U.S. All visitors are screened through metal detectors as they enter the facility.įew details were immediately available. ![]() The visitor's center is an underground complex located east of the Capitol building. Road barricades went up and police officers with automatic rifles were stationed on street corners. The report of gunfire in a city on heightened alert because of terror attacks in Europe sent dozens of emergency vehicles to the Capitol building and forced staff and visitors into lockdown. He was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Capitol Complex, according to two District of Columbia police officials. WASHINGTON - At least one person was shot by police Monday afternoon at the Capitol Visitor Center at the U.S.
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