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Police say Larry Dawson, a 66-year-old man from Tennessee, is the suspected gunman in Monday's shooting at the U.S. Capitol. He is in police custody. VPC
Capitol Police responded to a report of shots fired on Capitol Hill on March 28, 2016.(Photo: Michael Reynolds, European Pressphoto Agency)
WASHINGTON —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>An armed<span style="color: Red;">*</span>man was wounded Monday by U.S. Capitol Police<span style="color: Red;">*</span>when he arrived at the Capitol Visitor<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Center and brandished a weapon at authorities, police said.
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa said the man, who is known to authorities, appeared to draw his weapon when he was shot by police.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>One other person, described as a 35-<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>45-year-old female bystander,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>suffered minor injuries from<span style="color: Red;">*</span>flying shrapnel or debris.
A federal law enforcement official, who is not authorized to comment publicly, said the man was armed with a handgun.
Verderosa said the matter was "the act of a single person who has frequented the Capitol before.''<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The suspect was identified by a federal law enforcement official as<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Larry Russell Dawson of Antioch, Tenn., who had been charged last year in a Capitol disturbance.
Dawson was charged Oct. 23 with assaulting a police officer and unlawful conduct on Capitol grounds, according to D.C. court records. He was released<span style="color: Red;">*</span>but never appeared in court. A bench warrant was issued Nov. 19 for his arrest.
In another matter, Dawson's re-application for<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a license from the Tennessee Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers was rejected in August 2014, according to board records.
The confrontation Monday<span style="color: Red;">*</span>transpired in a matter of seconds near the entrance to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the visitor center, prompting<span style="color: Red;">*</span>authorities to issue a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>shelter-in-place order, which was later lifted<span style="color: Red;">*</span>as police massed near the scene.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The incident came during a congressional recess but at a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>time when the city is packed with tourists, many on spring break or in the nation's capital for the annual<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Cherry Blossom Festival.
Following the reports, the Washington, D.C. police department tweeted that there was "no active threat to the public."
There has been an isolated incident at the US Capitol. There is no active threat to the public
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) March 28, 2016
Unidentified young people embrace after being evacuated on Capitol Hill following a shooting in the Capitol Visitors Center on March 28, 2016.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Michael Reynolds, European Pressphoto Agency)
The Capitol Visitor Center remained closed Monday afternoon following the incident, and the Capitol was available only for official business.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Verderosa told reporters that police had located Dawson's pickup on the Capitol grounds and were processing it.
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Diane Bilo of Cincinnati said her husband heard a single shot in the visitor<span style="color: Red;">*</span>center and a clip of bullets being fired. Her husband,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Robert, was in the center with their<span style="color: Red;">*</span>two younger sons, Michael and Matt, waiting for her to return from Ohio Sen. Rob Portman's office with gallery passes.
"It was scary," Bilo said. "Police said, 'Run, run as fast as you can.'"
She was communicating with her husband and children, who were still in the center's theater, by text.
"They are sheltered," she said, adding that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>she was relieved to hear from them.
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Matthew Melucci of Connecticut said the situation seemed under control relatively quickly, but it was frightening<span style="color: Red;">*</span>as it unfolded.
"We were coming out of the Capitol when we heard 'Shots fired, shots fired,'" he said, before being pulled into a security area for a half-hour.
"It was scary. I've got three children with me and my wife," he said. "It was a scary moment about what was going to happen next. We felt lucky we were there with several police officers."
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Trotter and Anne Cobb of Birmingham, Ala., were eating lunch in the lower<span style="color: Red;">*</span>level of the center<span style="color: Red;">*</span>when Trotter Cobb said he heard a "crack" of a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>gunshot, resulting in dropped trays and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>glasses<span style="color: Red;">*</span>crashing to the floor.
"Capitol Police came out of nowhere," he said.<span style="color: Red;">*</span><span style="color: Red;">*</span>"They were amazing."
Tune Chang, 42, and his wife, Angie, and 10-year-old daughter Amanda were headed to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the center<span style="color: Red;">*</span>when they were stopped on the south side of the Capital and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>directed across the street.
Police look at a grey truck that is believed to belong to the suspect in a shooting at the Capitol Visitors Center on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC, USA, 28 March 2016. EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: MICHAEL REYNOLDS, EPA)
Tune Chang said he didn't consider safety issues when the family decided to travel from Los Angeles to Washington for a one-week vacation.
"We're in a better situation than the rest of the world" as far as security,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>he said.
Contributing: Christopher Doering and Bill Theobald
SHOOTING AT U.S. CAPITOLCapitol shooting suspect identified as Larry Dawson | 01:42Police say Larry Dawson, a 66-year-old man from Tennessee, is the suspected gunman in Monday's shooting at the U.S. Capitol. He is in police custody. VPC
SHOOTING AT U.S. CAPITOLWoman describes evacuation during Capitol shooting | 01:18Police are investigating reports of shots fired near the U.S. Capitol. Hear an eyewitness describe the scene. VPC
SHOOTING AT U.S. CAPITOLPolice say Capitol shooting was only 'a criminal act' | 02:32An armed man was shot after he pulled out a weapon at the Capitol Visitors Center, according to Capitol police. The suspect and one female bystander were taken to the hospital. VPC
SHOOTING AT U.S. CAPITOLUpdate on shooting at U.S. Capitol | 02:44USA TODAY Congress editor Paul Singer is on the scene to share the latest developments in the shooting that took place at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center Monday afternoon. USA TODAY
SHOOTING AT U.S. CAPITOLU.S. Capitol Police say shooter in custody | 02:10A gunman has been captured after a shooting at the U.S. Capitol complex. Bloomberg's Billy House reports on "Bloomberg Markets." Bloomberg
SHOOTING AT U.S. CAPITOLGunman in custody after shots fired at U.S. Capitol | 00:34A gunman was taken into custody after firing shots and injuring one in the Capitol Visitor Center at the U.S. Capitol Complex Monday.
SHOOTING AT U.S. CAPITOLReports of shots fired at U.S. Capitol | 01:51A heavy police presence still surrounds the U.S. Capitol after reports of gunshots near the area. USA TODAY
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