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WASHINGTON: A Capitol Police officer was killed Friday after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the US Capitol and then emerged wielding a knife, law enforcement officials said.
The suspect died at a hospital, officials said. Both officers were hospitalized, and one of them “succumbed to his injuries,” Capitol Police Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told reporters.
Pittman did not identify the slain officer or suspect. Authorities said that there was no longer an ongoing threat and that the attack did not appear to be related to terrorism. There was also no immediate connection apparent between Friday's crash and the Jan. 6 riot.
The crash and shooting happened at a security checkpoint near the Capitol as Congress is on recess. It comes as the Washington region remains on edge nearly three months after a mob of armed insurrectionists stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win.
Five people died in the Jan. 6 riot, including Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who was among a badly outnumbered force trying to fight off insurrectionists who supported former President Donald Trump's bid to overturn the election. Authorities installed a tall perimeter fence around the Capitol and for months restricted traffic along the roads closest to the building, but they have begun pulling back some of the emergency measures in recent weeks.
There was no immediate connection apparent between Jan. 6 and Friday's crash. Pittman said the suspect did not appear to have been on police radar. But the incident underscores that the building and campus remain potential targets for violence. It occurred about 100 yards (91 meters) from the entrance of the building on the Senate side of the Capitol.
The security checkpoint is typically used by senators and staff on weekdays, but lawmakers are away for recess. Fencing that prevented vehicular traffic near that area was recently removed.
The officials initially said the suspect was being taken to the hospital in critical condition. One of the officers who was injured was taken by police car to the hospital; the other was being transported by emergency medical crews, the officials said.
The US Capitol complex was placed on lockdown after the shooting and staff were told they could not enter or exit buildings. Video showed National Guard troops mobilizing near the area of the crash.
Video posted online showed a dark colored sedan crashed against a vehicle barrier and a police K-9 inspecting the vehicle. Law enforcement and paramedics could be seen caring for at least one unidentified individual.
President Biden had just departed the White House for Camp David when the incident occurred. As customary, he was traveling with a member of the National Security Council Staff who was expected to brief him on the incident.
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 — which occurred shortly after 1pm — and both of the officers were taken to hospitals in the area, said Acting Capitol Police Department Chief Yogananda Pittman in a press conference. One of the police officers 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. “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 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. Shortly after the press conference, the department issued a statement describing the deceased suspect as a man who drove a blue sedan. The department’s statement also notes:
One USCP officer was transported by a USCP cruiser to the hospital. The second USCP officer was transported by DC Fire and EMS. The suspect was also transported by DC Fire and EMS to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries around 1:30pm.
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, and also said the department’s homicide division and internal affairs division was taking over the investigation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has ordered the flags on the Capitol building at half-staff in light of the attack, according to a spokesperson.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said after the attack: “Praying for the United States Capitol Police officers who were attacked at the Capitol. We are still learning what’s taken place. Grateful to all the USCP and first responders who are on the scene.”
This article has been updated to include additional information.
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US Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley speaks to Ukraine Armed Forces Commander in Chief Ruslan Khomchak and Russian Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Valery Gerasimov to express concern over reported Russian troop movement on Kiev's borders.
The top Pentagon general has called counterparts in Russia and Ukraine as the US Defense Department expressed concerns about a reported buildup of Russian troops along Ukraine's border and in Crimea.
US troops in Europe were on an elevated "watch condition" as Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley spoke to General Valery Gerasimov, the Russian Armed Forces chief of staff, and Ukraine armed forces Commander in Chief Ruslan Khomchak.
Meanwhile, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan called the head of the Ukraine Presidential Office Andriy Yermak to reiterate Washington's support for the country.
"We're concerned about recent escalations of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, including violations of the July 2020 ceasefire that led to the deaths of four Ukrainian soldiers on the 26th of March, and the wounding of two others," said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
"Russia's destabilising actions undermine the deescalation in tensions that had been achieved through an OSCE-brokered agreement back in July of last year."
READ MORE: It's been five years since Russia annexed Crimea
Russian military build-up
He said the US military was aware of Ukrainian reports concerning Russian troop movements on the country's borders.
"We're discussing our concerns about this increase in tensions in ceasefire violations and regional tensions with NATO allies.”
On Tuesday, Moscow and Kiev traded accusations of responsibility for an increase in violence between Ukraine government forces and Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, leading to a rise in deaths.
READ MORE: Russia, Ukraine to revive peace process amid little progress
Khomchak denounced the "threat to the military security" of Ukraine by the Russian army, saying that some 28,000 separatist fighters and "more than 2,000 Russian military instructors and advisers" are currently stationed in eastern Ukraine.
Reports online suggested that Russia had located more military forces along the border and also moved more into Crimea, the Ukraine territory that Moscow seized in 2014.
READ MORE: Ukraine, Russia's other forgotten conflict
Heightened watch level
Those reports could not be confirmed, but some observers have tied them to Russian military exercises.
Kirby said Milley's call to his Russian counterpart was "to gain a little bit more clarity on what exactly is going on."
“We obviously don't want to see any more violations of Ukrainian territory," he said.
READ MORE: Ukraine calls up reservists amid tensions with Russia
In his call with Yermak, Sullivan "affirmed the United States’ unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, in the face of continuing aggression," according to a White House statement.
US forces in Europe were placed on a heightened watch level to "potential imminent crisis" in response to Russian activities, Kirby confirmed.
He said that the watch condition "expresses combatant commanders' concern about a potential threat."
READ MORE: Turkey supports Ukraine's territorial integrity over Donbass, Crimea
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
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