At least one U.S. Capitol Police officer has died after being struck by a driver in a sedan, USCP officials said Friday.
Another officer was hospitalized with injuries and the driver is dead, Acting USCP Chief Yogananda Pittman said at a news conference following the incident. Officers shot the driver when he exited the car and ignored officers’ commands to back down, then lunged toward them with a knife, according to Pittman.
Police identified the officer killed as William “Billy” Evans, an 18-year veteran of the department.
The incident marks the first breach of Capitol security since Jan. 6, when a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the building in hopes of preventing lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. The attack resulted in the deaths of one Capitol Police officer and four rioters; it caused injuries to more than 140 other USCP officers.
“This has been an extremely difficult time for U.S. Capitol Police after the events of Jan. 6,” Pittman said, “and now the events that have occurred here today.”
Capitol Police lifted a lockdown at the Capitol shortly after the press conference, saying the area was clear of any more threats. The crime scene, however, remains restricted.
The Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department is handling the investigation into the attack. Metro Chief Robert Conti said that as of now, “it does not appear that [the driver] is known to the Capitol Police or the Metropolitan Police Department” and that the attack “does not appear to be terrorism-related.”
Multiple media outlets later confirmed with law enforcement that the driver was 25-year-old Noah Green of Indiana.
The incident took place at the northwestern entrance of the U.S. Capitol, where senators and staff usually enter the building. The outermost fence that police set up in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack was removed last week, opening the area to public traffic.
Congress is on recess and lawmakers are out of town. Biden is at Camp David receiving information about the incident, the White House said.
“We send our heartfelt condolences to Officer Evans’ family, and everyone grieving his loss,” Biden said in a statement. “We know what a difficult time this has been for the Capitol, everyone who works there, and those who protect it.”
The other officer injured in Friday’s attack, Biden added, is “fighting for his life.”
Igor Bobic contributed reporting.