US Capitol On Lockdown Following Suicide, Suspicious Package
Moments ago NBC [5]and various news wires reported that the US Capitol was on lockdown following reports of a suicide on the west front of the building.
According to NBC [5], the U.S. Capitol and the Capitol Visitors Center is on lockdown amid police activity on the scene, according to the U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms Office.
The suspected shooter was "neutralized," police said, adding that they were investigating a suspicious package found on the lower West Terrace of the Capitol Building.
[9]Officials told NBC News [9]that it appears a man killed himself on the West Front of the Capitol Building, and the suspicious package was his suitcase. "There are no indications at this point of terrorism," said one federal official. The investigation is in its early stages as authorities work to find the man's car.
Frank Thorp, a NBC News producer and reporter, said Capitol staff has been instructed to shelter in place after reports of a man shooting himself in the vicinity of the Capitol. A DC Alerts notification said police were conducting a suicide investigation in the 100 block of Pennsylvania Avenue.
AP quotes [10]Kimberly Schneider of the Capitol Police says in a statement that the suspected shooter has been "neutralized," but there is no immediate explanation what that means.
She also says the Capitol Police are investigating a suspicious package on the lower west terrace of the building.
No one is being allowed to enter or exit the Capitol and the visitors center.
Don't worry about the inhabitants of the Capitol though: Congress has been on spring break for two weeks because life is difficult when US legislators tell the Fed "to get to work".
What is unclear is how if the man who allegedly shot himself, and who according to Breaking News was a protester, was also subsequently "neutralized" by police.
