The US Capitol was put on lockdown Friday after a car rammed into two police officers and hit a barricade. One of the officers, William “Billy” Evans, died from his injuries, acting US Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said in a press release.
In the early afternoon on Friday, US Capitol Police said there was an “external security threat at the North Barricade” of the US Capitol along Constitution Avenue. Just after 1 p.m. ET, a suspect drove his car into two officers and then hit the North Barricade, Pittman said. The suspect then exited the car with a knife in hand, was shot by US Capitol Police officers and has been pronounced dead, Pittman said. The second officer who was hit by the car is in “stable and non-threatening condition,” police said in a tweet.
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Multiple news outlets, including including NBC News, The New York Times and The Washington Post, cited sources in identifying the suspect as 25-year-old Noah Green. The DC Metropolitan Police Department, which is handling the investigation, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the US Capitol Police.
At this time, there doesn’t appear to be any ongoing threat from the incident, acting Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee said.
A Facebook spokeswoman said in a statement that the social networking giant has been in touch with law enforcement officials as they conduct their investigation. The social network pulled down the suspect’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, citing its rules against “dangerous individuals and organizations.”
On his Facebook page, Green had described himself as a supporter of Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, The New York Times reported. The paper noted that the Nation of Islam, a Black nationalist religious movement, has been denounced by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its leaders’ “deeply racist, anti-Semitic and anti-gay rhetoric.” On Facebook, Green had talked about the Antichrist and the “end times,” the paper reported, and had mentioned difficulties in his life.
“To be honest, these past few years have been tough, and these past few months have been tougher,” Green reportedly wrote on the site. “I have been tried with some of the biggest, unimaginable tests in my life. I am currently now unemployed, after I left my job, partly due to afflictions.” The Washington Post reported that Green’s friends and family had worried about his mental health.
It’s standard practice now for Facebook and other social media sites to remove the pages of suspects in major crimes. Facebook doesn’t allow users who “proclaim a violent mission or are engaged in violence” on its platform, according to its policy. The company said it will also be “removing any content that praises, supports, or represents the attack or the suspect.”
Images and videos from the scene were shared on social media, showing a large police response. Congressional offices were reportedly told that no entry or exit from buildings would be allowed and that people should stay away from exterior windows and doors.
Congress isn’t in session, but some lawmakers, staffers, journalists and police are still in the buildings. Security at the US Capitol has come under the microscope after as Congress assembled to affirm the results of the presidential election.