Shooter at US Capitol Apprehended, No Terror Link

Local Editor

A gunman was taken into custody after firing shots in the US Capitol complex Monday, Capitol officials said, and visitors and staff were shut in their offices and told to "shelter in place."

The gunman, identified as Larry Russel Dawson according to CNN, had drawn a weapon at a security checkpoint in the building's visitor center, where he was shot by an officer, police said. A female bystander was injured by shrapnel.

The suspect was known to the police through previous contact, adding that there was no reason to believe the incident was anything but a criminal act, Capitol police chief Matthew Verderosa told reporters after the incident, which sparked a brief lockdown on Capitol Hill.

"The suspect is currently undergoing surgery. His condition is unknown at this time. A weapon was recovered on the scene," he said.

The event unfolded with Congress on recess and lawmakers back in their districts. The White House was briefly put on lockdown, but that was soon lifted. A notification sent to Senate offices said no further suspects appeared to be at large.

Capitol office buildings and the Capitol itself reopened for business an hour after the initial reports of gunfire. The Visitors Center where the shooting occurred remained closed as the incident was being investigated.

The shooting occurred in the Visitors Center of the Capitol complex.

Staffers, reporters and others were told to "shelter in place" while the incident was being investigated.
Visitors were being turned away from the Capitol as emergency vehicles flooded the street and the plaza on the building's eastern side.

Police, some carrying long guns, cordoned off the streets immediately around the building, which were thick with tourists visiting for spring holidays and the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Traffic was jammed in the vicinity, but despite the obvious emergency the scene was relatively calm. A work crew on the north side of the Supreme Court, across the street, was asked to stop work and move away from the building as a precaution.

Earlier in the day, officials conducted an unrelated shelter-in-place drill at the Capitol.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team