Update, 10:45 p.m.: Capitol shooting suspect ID’d (via USA Today):
The suspect was identified by a federal law enforcement official as Larry Russell Dawson of Antioch, Tenn., who had been charged last year in a Capitol disturbance. Dawson was charged Oct. 23 with assaulting a police officer and unlawful conduct on Capitol grounds, according to D.C. court records. He was released, but never appeared in court. A bench warrant was issued Nov. 19 for his arrest.
Update 6:15 p.m.: Capitol police confirmed a man with a gun was shot by police at approximately 2:40 p.m. Monday afternoon at the visitor center of the U.S. Capitol. The gunman was going through security screening at an underground entrance of the Capitol complex, according to Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa, when he drew a weapon and pointed it at an officer. The man, who apparently had previous contact with Capitol police, was shot by at least one officer and taken to the hospital. A female bystander between 35 and 45 years old was also taken to the hospital for what police are describing as a minor injury; CNN reports the woman sustained a shrapnel injury. The Capitol police “believe this is an act of a single person who has frequented the Capitol grounds before,” according to Verderosa. “There is no reason to believe this is anything more than a criminal act.” Congress is in recess this week.
Original Post: Reports out of Washington, D.C., indicate that there’s been a shooting at the Capitol Visitor Center but that no victims were seriously injured:
The shooter’s motive isn’t yet known; two Capitol Police officers were killed in a random attack inside the Capitol proper in 1998. We’ll update this post when more information becomes available.
*The headline of this post has been updated to reflect new information about the shooting.
