UPDATE: Capitol police chief said report of active shooter at US Senate building may have been a ‘bogus call.’ ‘All buildings have been cleared at this time. The buildings have not been reopened,’ Capitol police said.
BACKGROUND:
US Capitol Police evacuated the Senate office buildings in Washington, DC, following reports of a possible active shooter on Wednesday.
At 2:45 p.m., the department tweeted that their officers were conducting searches in and around the Senate Office Buildings in response to a concerning 911 call.
Report of active shooter at Senate buildings
Scary. Major police response at the US Capitol Russell Building, police yelling at people to run away. pic.twitter.com/h6PY0Zj9Cw
— Corey Walters (@cjmithli) August 2, 2023
As a precautionary measure, the police asked everyone inside to shelter in place, although there was no confirmation of any actual gunshots.
‘We are on lockdown currently…We saw officers running across campus with rifles drawn. They are now searching buildings room by room,’ CBS News correspondent Natalie Brand says.
The city’s Metro Police Department reportedly stated that the report of an active shooter “appears to be a false alarm” as no shooter was found, and there were no injuries reported, as per Politico.
It is worth noting that the office building is located just a few blocks away from the courthouse where former President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in his latest federal indictment tomorrow.
Video shared on social media shows people being led out of Senate building ‘with hands up’ after reports of active shooter.
People are being evacuated from senate office buildings with their hands up. pic.twitter.com/Pd1Ayw7GMu
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) August 2, 2023
US Capitol police statement on possible active shooter at Senate buildings
Our officers are searching in and around the Senate Office Buildings in response to a concerning 911 call. Please stay away from the area as we are still investigating. We will continue to communicate with the public here.
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.
