An armed man was on Tuesday shot and captured by police after he pointed a weapon at them at the US Capitol visitor centre, triggering a lockdown, amid heightened alert following the terror attacks in Brussels. Police shot larry Russel Dawson, 66, at an entrance of the US Capitol visitor centre. A woman bystander sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the incident.
Dawson and the woman were taken to a nearby hospital where Dawson’s condition was said to be unknown. As a result of the shooting, the US Capitol was locked down. The House and the Senate were in recess. For a brief period, there was panic at the US Capitol. Staffers were asked by the police to stay-in-place order while tourists in the area were told to flee.
“We believe that this is the act of a single person that has frequented the Capitol grounds before. There is no reason to believe this is anything more than a criminal act,” US Capitol Police chief Matthew Verderosa told reporters. He ruled out a terrorist incident.
“It appears that the screening process worked how it was supposed to,” Vederosa said, adding that the incident occurred around 2:39 PM local time when Dawson entered the screening checkpoint at the Capitol Visitor Centre.