Officer killed, suspect dead after ramming car into barricade at US Capitol, cops say

Mitchell Willetts
·5 min read

The U.S. Capitol is on alert and two are dead after someone rammed a vehicle into a barricade at an access point, according to U.S. Capitol Police.

The suspect and a Capitol police officer are dead after being taken to a hospital, police said. A second police officer was also injured and rushed to a hospital.

Officer William Evans died Friday as a result of injuries from the attack, Capitol Police said. He was an 18-year veteran of the department.

Police said they shot the suspect, who stepped out of the vehicle with a knife, Bloomberg reported.

Authorities said the suspect was not someone previously known to either Capitol Police or the D.C. Police Department.

The D.C. National Guard has been called in to help provide security at the Capitol, sources report, with assistance from the FBI.

The lockdown on the complex was lifted around 3 p.m., about two hours after the attack, but the Capitol remains on alert.

On Jan. 6, a mob in support of then-president Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers worked to certify results of the 2020 election, following weeks of baseless claims from Trump that the election was fraudulent.

Five died during the attack, and Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on charges of inciting an insurrection. He was later acquitted by the Senate.

Additional perimeter fencing put up around the Capitol after the riot was removed in late March, but an inner perimeter fence still remains in place.

Spring recess is in session for Congress, so no lawmakers were inside the building, NBC reported.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered flags to half-staff in honor of the officer who died Friday, and many other lawmakers on Capitol Hill shared their condolences over the loss.

Since the Jan. 6 attack, Capitol Police have lost three fellow officers. Brian Sicknick died the day of the attack from injuries sustained while on duty. Two more officers, Howard Liebengood, and Jeffrey Smith, both died by suicide just days after Jan. 6.