A woman tried to go through a barrier at the White House using her vehicle as a battering ram ( she is also reported to have had a baby in the car with her at the time) then sped across town at high speed toward the U.S. Capitol building where police said “shots were fired.”
The woman was apparently killed after police gunned her down in a frantic attempt to stop her.
DC Police officers said they were handling multiple crime scenes simultaneously, while all this was going on, causing mass confusion.
Meanwhile at the White House, shots “may have been fired” as well, according to media reports – in addition police were investigating two scenes over at the Capitol, including one at the busy intersection of First Street and Constitution Avenue. There a Capitol Police officer was reported injured in a “vehicle crash” and taken to a hospital.
The third crime scene was reported at and the intersection of 2nd Street & Maryland Avenue (northwest), where they were investigating a report of some kind of “suspicious vehicle.”
At the Capitol building police went into a “lockdown situation” as officials tried to figure out what was going on, with multiple reports coming in of shots fired. At one time police were unsure if there was one shooter or multiple shooters involved.
See report: Shots fired at U.S. Capitol, female suspect killed http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/03/20805397-shots-fired-at-us-capitol-female-suspect-killed?lite).
All this was going on as tensions were high anyway over the government shutdown.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that there have been numerous threats against lawmakers as the government shutdown continues unabated.
In one case in particular Congressman Sean Duffy was apparently assaulted by a deranged man who began screaming obscenities at him and then grabbed his arm. The congressman is reported unharmed at this time (see report: GOP Congressman Sean Duffy assaulted http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/sean-duffy-assaulted_n_4037766.html.
In Phoenix, Arizona the Social security building near 7th avenue and Van Buren went on increased security alert. Reports suggest that Homeland Security has increased patrols and parked a vehicle out front of the entrance of the Social Security office – with eyewitnesses confirming that an officer with a bomb sniffing canine was spotted entering the building.
Unconfirmed reports suggest threats may have been called in to the Social Security building by either a disgruntled employee or employees or member of the public upset over the fact that their disability claims are not being processed as a result of the government shutdown.
However, it is important to note that we have been unable to confirm that situation at this time.
Across the U.S. multiple reports are streaming in from all over that the public and disgruntled government workers are staging protests causing an increase in security at multiple government and military sites across the nation.
The shutdown has caused many furloughed workers to become anxious as they worry about how to pay bills during the shutdown. Which , of course is understandable under the circumstances.
It is not know at this time if the woman gunned down by police in Washington D.C. today was in fact a disgruntled government worker or not.
The DC and Capitol police refused comment on the investigation as it is still in progress. The White House also refused to comment on specifics, but a spokesperson did indicate the Secret Service is investigating this incident at well.