Police officer killed in vehicle attack on U.S. Capitol

A motorist rammed a car into police outside U.S. Capitol on Friday, killing one officer and injuring another and forcing the Capitol complex to lock down in an attack that police said did not appear to be terrorism-related.

Police shot and killed the suspect, Reuters reported.

Yogananda Pittman, acting chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, said the suspect drove into the officers, then hit a barricade and got out of the vehicle, lunging at them with a knife.

“It is with a very, very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries,” she told a news conference.

Reuters reported police identified the slain officer as William “Billy” Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force and father of two children. Officials said the other officer was in a stable and non-life threatening condition.

“It does not appear to be terrorism-related but obviously we’ll continue to investigate,” said Robert Contee, acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington.

President Joe Biden said he was heartbroken by the attack and ordered flags at the White House be lowered to half-staff. In a statement, he said he was being briefed on the investigation.

Multiple media organizations, citing anonymous sources, named the suspect as Noah Green, 25, of Newport News, Virginia. Green’s brother told the Washington Post that his sibling struggled with drug use and paranoia and his family worried about his mental state, Reuters reported.