WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Friday’s lockdown at the U.S. Capitol complex (all times local):
5 p.m.
President Joe Biden has ordered that U.S. flags at the White House be lowered to half-staff until April 6 in honor of a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was killed Friday after a man rammed a car into a security checkpoint.
Biden says he and first lady Jill Biden are heartbroken over the death of officer William Evans, an 18-year veteran of the Capitol Police force. A second Capitol police officer was injured in the attack, while the suspect was killed.
Biden says he knows what a difficult time it’s been for the Capitol and all who work there and protect it. Friday’s incident came about three months after the Jan. 6 insurrection that killed a Capitol police officer and four other people.
Biden released the statement from the Camp David president retreat, where he is spending the weekend.
He expressed gratitude to the Capitol Police and the National Guard troops for responding quickly to the attack.
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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE INCIDENT THE U.S. CAPITOL:
Friday’s crash and shooting happened at a checkpoint near the U.S. Capitol as Congress is on recess. It comes as the Washington region remains on edge nearly three months after a mob of armed insurrectionists stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win.
Read more:
— Security officials recently started scaling back fencing around the U.S. Capitol.
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
3:20 p.m.
Law enforcement officials say terrorism is not suspected in a deadly confrontation outside the U.S. Capitol that began when a man rammed his car into two officers outside the Capitol and then emerged wielding a knife.
Officials declined to offer a motive, but Robert Contee, the acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, said there was no ongoing threat to the area and that the incident did not appear to be linked to terrorism.
The suspect’s name has not been released, but he died at a hospital. Both Capitol Police officers were hospitalized, and Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told reporters Friday afternoon that one of the officers “succumbed to his injuries.”
She did not immediately provide additional details and the officer’s identity was not released.
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2:45 p.m.
U.S. Capitol Police say an officer has died after a suspect rammed his car into two officers and lunged at officers with a knife before being shot.
Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman says the officer died after Friday’s incident but did not immediately provide additional details. The officer’s identity was not released.
Pittman says the suspect rammed a barricade near the U.S. Capitol. She says the suspect then exited the vehicle with a knife and lunged at the officers. The suspect was shot and died at the hospital.
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2:35 p.m.
Two law enforcement officials tell The Associated Press that the driver who rammed a car into two police officers outside the U.S. Capitol has died after being shot by authorities.
The officials said both Capitol Police officers were taken to the hospital, with at least one in serious condition. The suspect died at a hospital.
The crash happened at a security checkpoint that is typically used by senators and staff on weekdays, but lawmakers are away for recess. Fencing that prevented vehicular traffic near that area was recently removed.
Capitol Police said that someone rammed a vehicle into two of its officers. The law enforcement officials told the AP that the driver then got out of the car with what appeared to be a knife. It’s unclear which member of law enforcement shot the suspect.
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2:25 p.m.
The U.S. Capitol remained on lockdown Friday afternoon after a car rammed a barricade outside the Senate, though the building was largely empty due to a two-week recess.
Alerts sent out by police said that people in the Capitol were not allowed to exit the building while the police were responding to the incident, in which the driver got out of the vehicle while appearing to brandish a knife before being shot by authorities. But the hallways were mostly empty despite the chaos outside.
The Capitol complex has been on high alert since the Jan. 6 attack by former President Donald Trump’s supporters, which left five people dead. National Guard troops who have guarded the building since then were seen mobilizing around the area of the incident.
The car hit a barricade just outside the Senate, on a street that had recently been reopened after the Jan. 6 insurrection.
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2:10 p.m.
The suspect who rammed two U.S. Capitol Police officers at a barricade appeared to have a knife and was shot by police.
That’s according to two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday. The officials could not discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The officials say the suspect was critically wounded and was taken into custody.
The incident happened at a checkpoint near the Capitol. The Capitol complex was locked down after the shooting.
