US Capitol Lockdown (Photo : Twitter/@nmikula1)
A shooting that urged the United Statese Capitol to lockdown for several hours on Saturday was a suicide and it does not have an apparent linkage to terrorism, Capitol Police Chief Kim Dine said in a news conference.
Early on Saturday afternoon, an anonymous man walked through the west front of the Capitol where he shot himself, as Dine have told the reporters. Dozens of witnesses, including young children, were shocked with what the man did.
The unidentified male shooter had carried a backpack as well as a rolling suitcase that that the officials treated as suspicious packages-which prompted the lockdown of the Capitol for almost two hours as the packages were investigated, Fox News reports.
Authorities said that the man also brought a sign with a message about "social justice." Meanwhile, Robert Bishop, a witness, said that it was something about taxing the "1 percent," CNN reported.
Dine said that the incident has no connection with terrorism as far as the investigation goes.
The building and the nearby Capitol Visitors Center were locked down due to this incident, which also means tourists or any staff could not enter or leave the buildings.
The Capitol area was packed with tourists taking in and viewing the Cherry Blossom trees, which are in full bloom along the National Mall.
The officers who responded to the scene did not fire their weapons, according to Dine. After the suspicious packages were inspected, the lockdown was immediately lifted and pedestrian traffic was allowed once again.
The Metropolitan Police Department, alongside with the FBI, Secret Service, and Park Police, is currently investigating the death.
A number of photos and videos were shown by the tourists at the scene to the investigating authorities.
