The US Capitol Police are now on standby to get the Senate office buildings ready for reopening.
Authorities on Capitol Hill in the United States have stated that the emergency call on Wednesday about a claimed active shooter at Senate facilities could have been fake.
The U.S. Capitol Police declared that there was no longer a security threat on Capitol Hill. This came after a brief manhunt, evacuations, and panic inside Senate office buildings in response to a report of an active shooter.
Source: New York Times
The Capitol Police were notified immediately following today’s emergency call and advised the public to “Shelter-In-Place.”
The head of the Capitol Police, J. Thomas Manger, stated that his agency conducted a thorough search of the premises following a 2:30 p.m. call to 911 reporting an active shooter in the Hart Building.
The inquiry was being assisted by the D.C. police. According to Mr. Manger, there had been no verifiable sightings of the gunman, despite descriptions of him as a heavyset Hispanic male wearing body armour during the call. He indicated that the probe was still ongoing.
At the time of the danger alarm, officials were housed within the Senate buildings under lockdown.
Summer recess in Senate:
Congress adjourned for a five-week holiday last week, yet staff assistants are still in full swing inside the Capitol building. Just after 3 p.m., staff workers received a security alert instructing them to locate a hiding spot and seek shelter. They were instructed to avoid going near windows or doors.
Source: Reuters
Police were heard ordering people to flee on the streets around the Capitol. According to a witness, Capitol Police officers entered a Senate office building with long rifles and evacuated all individuals on the ground level.
At the Capitol, there was a noticeable police presence, including the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.
Staff employees on the House side of the building were advised to stay away from the Senate office buildings by the House sergeant-at-arms.
Similar attack in the Senate reported:
A federal courthouse located a few blocks from the Capitol was the venue for Mr. Trump’s anticipated appearance the day before he was to appear in Washington, D.C., following his indictment on charges pertaining to the attempt to rig the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the complex, which many employees still find difficult to forget.
There were no preparations to fence off any locations for Mr. Trump’s presence, according to Mr. Manger, but the Capitol Police and other federal law enforcement agencies have been on alert about possible threats around the expected indictment for weeks.
He acknowledged the existence of a security strategy but refrained from providing further information.
Gun crime culture in the US:
US President Joe Biden stated earlier in February that, in light of an increase in mass shootings, the nation requires greater funding to combat gun violence and that it is past time to reimpose the ban on assault weapons.
Source: CNN
Following Republicans’ takeover of the House of Representatives, Joe Biden made his first significant speech to a divided Congress and stated, “Mass shootings decreased ten years ago when the ban was enacted. Republican lapse caused a threefold increase in mass shootings. Let’s get the job done and reimpose the prohibition on assault weapons.”
He went on to claim that as long as gun violence keeps rising, the US would require greater resources to combat the current state of affairs in the nation.
More funding is required for community intervention programmes, violent crime reduction, and gun crime. All of these can aid in averting violence before it occurs, he said.
