As tourists gathered at the Visitors Center of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., a gunman begin to fire — leaving one U.S. Capitol police officer wounded, and innocent visitors fearing a terrorist attack.
An email was sent out to Capitol staffers at 2:45 pm ET that warned them to “seek cover” amongst a “potential security threat.” The email added: “If you are outside, seek cover.”
Shots were soon reported via social media from several witnesses.
The Capitol police officers advised bystanders to run from the building, with the White House immediately put under lockdown — as children attending an Easter Egg Roll were unable to leave the premises.
Police have sent out an alert that the officer is not seriously hurt, and a suspect is now in custody. There have been reportes that the shooter was also wounded.
At the time, authorities have declared that the Capitol building is currently under “no active threat.”
