WASHINGTON (WUSA9) —
The U.S. Capitol Building is on lockdown after shots were fired on the West Front of the building, US Capitol Police said.
The suspected shooter has been neutralized. The building has been locked down as a precautionary measure, according to officials.
US Capitol was on lockdown following reports of a suicide on the west front of the building.
UPDATE: The protester was carrying a “Tax the One Percent” sign.
BREAKING! Man commits suicide on U.S. Capitol lawn, had ‘Tax the One Percent’ sign http://t.co/VWjgRwbgtB
— The Right Scoop (@TheRightScoop) April 11, 2015
Photo By (@Chels_Taddonio)
The U.S. Capitol and the Capitol Visitors Center is on lockdown amid police activity on the scene, according to the U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms Office.
Related to this incident, the U.S. Capitol Police are continuing to investigate the suspicious package on the lower West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol Building.
Frank Thorp, a NBC News producer and reporter, said Capitol staff has been instructed to shelter in place after reports of a man shooting himself in the vicinity of the Capitol. A DC Alerts notification said police were conducting a suicide investigation in the 100 block of Pennsylvania Avenue.
AP quotes Kimberly Schneider of the Capitol Police says in a statement that the suspected shooter has been “neutralized,” but there is no immediate explanation what that means.
She also says the Capitol Police are investigating a suspicious package on the lower west terrace of the building.
No one is being allowed to enter or exit the Capitol and the visitors center.
Don’t worry about the inhabitants of the Capitol though: Congress has been on spring break for two weeks because life is difficult when US legislators tell the Fed “to get to work”.
What is unclear is how if the man who allegedly shot himself, and who according to Breaking News was a protester, was also subsequently “neutralized” by police.
UPDATE:
#BREAKING: U.S. Capitol on Lockdown After Suicide.
@nbcwashington
http://t.co/DziGDYj6C7
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) April 11, 2015
