Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order and began searching Senate office buildings near the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon amid reports of an active shooter. The U.S. Capitol Police announced on the X social media platform that the security response was prompted by a “concerning 911 call” regarding a “possible active shooter.” The Associated Press has the story:
Senate office buildings locked down over reports of gunman
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP)
Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order and began searching Senate office buildings near the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon amid reports of an active shooter.
The U.S. Capitol Police announced on the X social media platform that the security response was prompted by a “concerning 911 call” regarding a “possible active shooter.”
However, as of 3 p.m., the Capitol Police noted that there were no confirmed reports of weapons or gunshots.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are currently on recess.
Inside the Russell Senate Office Building, officers evacuated the hallways and shouted at people to run outside and away from the building. Outside, tourists watched as dozens of police cars surrounded the area.
Staff and journalists working in the building received an email instructing them to take shelter in a locked room, remain quiet and silence all electronics.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are currently on recess and the office buildings are generally less crowded than usual.
A possible active shooter was reported at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, the Capitol Police said, urging people inside Senate office buildings to shelter in place.
The U.S. Senate was in summer recess and the majority of lawmakers were not in, but most offices retain a skeleton staff on site. There also are typically are dozens of workers staffing Senate cafeterias and coffee shops, security posts and working on building maintenance.
“If you are inside the Senate Buildings, everyone inside should be sheltering in place as the report was for a possible active shooter. It should be noted that we do not have any confirmed reports of gunshots,” the U.S. Capitol Police said in a post on social media.
Police said they responded to an emergency call.
An advisory from the Capitol Police urged people to move inside their offices and take emergency equipment. It also asked them to silence their electronic equipment and remain quiet.
There was a heavy police presence outside the buildings, with some staffers standing outside and tourists gathered around the perimeters of the Capitol complex.
