One Capitol Police Officer Dead Following Car Attack, Another Injured; Suspect Dead

An unknown suspect was fatally shot Friday by police after ramming a car into two police officers at the Capitol building and then proceeding to charge at officers on-foot while wielding a knife, announced U.S. Capitol Police Department Friday afternoon. 

Two U.S. Capitol police officers were injured in the car attack, and both of them were taken to hospitals in the area, said Acting Capitol Police Department Chief Yogananda Pittman. One of them has been pronounced dead, and the extent of the other officer’s injuries are not currently clear.

“It is a with a very, very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries,” said Pittman in a press conference. “We are not able to release any information, names, age, date of birth, or anything of that nature at this time, because we still have to notify the next of kin.”

“This has been an extremely difficult time,” said Pittman, citing the events of January 6 as well as the car attack. She also asked that the public keep the Capitol police department in their thoughts and prayers. 

Pittman said the yet-to-be-identified suspect “did not respond to verbal commands” and was carrying a visible knife in his hand. Police fired at the suspect after the individual started running toward them in what Pittman described as lunging. 

Robert Contee, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, which is separate from the Capitol police department, offered his “deepest condolences” to “all of the officers at the United States Capitol Police,” and said there doesn’t appear to be an ongoing threat. Contee said that it doesn’t appear the suspect was known to local police. He also said the department’s homicide division and internal affairs division was taking over the investigation. 

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