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Capitol Police reported Friday an attack in the vicinity of Congress. The man crashed his vehicle into a security barricade, ran over two officers, and ran off with a knife, but he was neutralized.
Authorities reported that one of the police officers, Officer William F. Evans, was killed. Meanwhile, sources explained that it was a “lone wolf” attack and detailed that the suspect identified himself on Facebook as a follower of Louis Farrakhan, an Islamic leader.
In that regard, his last publication corresponds to a Farrakhan video in which he assured that Jesus is not the messiah and deemed Christianity as a lie.
Meanwhile, the social network had reported that it had been working with law enforcement and had removed the profile, complying with its “dangerous people and organizations” policy. According to Fox News, a recent profile photo appears to show the suspect being loaded into an ambulance.
Statement on the Loss of USCP Colleague Officer William “Billy” Evans: https://t.co/JMAEbTcbAp pic.twitter.com/DPvkAv5ptO
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) April 2, 2021.
“Officer Evans was a member of the U.S. Capitol Police for 18 years. He began his service with the USCP on March 7, 2003, and was a member of the Capitol Division First Aid Unit,” the police department wrote in a brief statement.
According to the EFE news agency, the attacker died shortly after in a Washington hospital.
Capitol Hill is no longer under threat
Although the situation no longer poses a threat, authorities are keeping the Capitol’s surroundings under surveillance and asking citizens to follow the directions of police officers. “The area around the crime scene will continue to be restricted and people should follow police instructions”.
National Guard deployment to the U.S. Capitol following the incident. Video from @SegravesNBC4 pic.twitter.com/vC1IUqydxn
— Dori Toribio (@DoriToribio) April 2, 2021
The Capitol Police also confirmed that it is conducting investigations about the case. Regarding Congress, they decided to put the flags at half-staff for the death of the police officer, as it was confirmed by Drew Hammill, head of the team of Democrat Nancy Pelosi, president of the House of Representatives, through his Twitter account.
Speaker Pelosi has ordered the flags at the U.S. Capitol to be flown at half-staff due to the death of a U.S. Capitol Police Officer in the of duty today. The process of lowering the flags may take longer than usual because of the Capitol’s current lockdown status.
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) April 2, 2021
