A female suspect is dead in the WASHINGTON DC lockdown after trying to ram the White House gate with a car.
The U.S. Capitol was placed on lockdown Thursday after shots were fired nearby and at least one police officer was reported injured.
“Shelter in place,” Capitol police officers responding to the crisis barked out. The House, which had been in the midst of heated debates over how to end the government shutdown, immediately went into recess.
Meanwhile, a police helicopter carrying heavily armed officers landed on the Mall directly in front of the building and they raced over to help. “I heard three distinct booms,” NBC correspondent Luke Russert reported.
The shots were fired near the Hart Senate Office Building at 2nd St and Constitution Avenue Northeast, only a few blocks from the U.S. Supreme Court.
CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash reported that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said there was one person injured.
Initial reports say someone tried to ram a gate or barricade at the White House with a car. A chase then ensued and ended up on Capitol Hill.
Sources say the female suspect Miriam Carey, 34, from Conn. is dead after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement. A DC cop rammed the suspect vehicle.
A child was in the car with the suspect and is unharmed. The slain suspect reportedly had "a long history of mental problems".
