A police officer was killed and another injured, Friday, April 2, near the Capitol in Washington, United States, after being struck by a car. Congressmen are on parliamentary recess this week, but some members of their teams, congressional employees and journalists were present and were confined inside the building.
Equipped with shields, soldiers of the National Guard, deployed on the Capitol since the January 6 attack, rushed from the parliamentary office buildings nearby to the federal building. Others took up positions near police checkpoints blocking the road.
The head of the Capitol police, Yogananda Pittman, announced at a press conference that after hitting a control barrier the suspect exited the vehicle armed with a knife before heading towards the two police officers. Reinforcements arrived on the scene fired several times and injured the assailant, who was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. This attack does not appear to be linked to “Terrorism”, said another police official during this hastily organized press briefing in front of the Capitol.
Flags at half mast
The facts took place near a checkpoint on the side of the Senate, whose enclosure was placed under very high protection after the deadly assault on January 6, led by supporters of Donald Trump. Some of the protective barriers had recently been removed and the security perimeter tightened around the seat of the US Parliament. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has ordered the flags to be lowered at half mast in tribute to the slain policeman.
US President Joe Biden said “Devastated”. “Jill and I are devastated to learn of the violent attack at a security checkpoint at the United States Capitol.”, he said in a statement, also ordering the half-masting of the White House flags.