A police officer was killed and another injured on Friday after a car crashed into a barricade outside the United States Capitol complex in Washington DC, AFP reported. The driver was shot dead by the police after he got out of the car and tried to attack them with a knife.
Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee told the news agency that the incident did not seem to be terrorism-related, but investigation into it would continue.
The US Capitol Police identified the slain officer as William “Billy” Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force. “Please keep officer Evans and his family in your thoughts and prayers,” Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden said he was heartbroken by the death of the police officer, Reuters reported. The White House said that the president had been receiving updates about the incident as investigation progresses. “Jill [Biden] and I were heartbroken to learn of the violent attack at a security checkpoint on the US Capitol grounds,” the president said in a statement.
Vice President Kamala Harris condoled the death of the officer, saying that he made the “ultimate sacrifice” to protect the Capitol and the people who work there, reported ANI. “Officer Evans, his family, and all those who knew him are in our hearts and prayers,” she said in a statement. “We mourn with them during this difficult time.”
The vice president also said that the US administration was proud of the people who defend the Capitol, especially when it has faced two violent attacks.
Following the attack, the Capitol complex went under a lockdown, less than three months after a mob attacked the building and clashed with the police.
On Friday, National Guard troops were mobilised and the staff at the Capitol were told to seek cover shortly after the attack took place. They were told to stay away from windows and directed not to leave or enter the building.
January US Capitol violence
On January 7, hundreds of supporters of former US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol complex as members of the Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential elections, which Biden won. Five people died in the violence. At least 68 were arrested.
The incident triggered shock across the world. Several White House officials tendered resignations following the incident, while the demands for Trump’s removal from the top office grew.
After the violence, Trump conceded defeat to Biden. For months, he peddled election conspiracy theories and claimed that the presidential poll had been rigged.
Trump was impeached for a second time on the charge of “inciting the insurrection”, but was acquitted by the Senate in February.
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