Situation Outside US Capitol in Wake of Deadly Vehicle Attack

While lawmakers were initially supportive of the fencing to secure the area, and the thousands of National Guard troops sent to the Capitol to back up the overwhelmed police force, they soon said they were ready for a drawdown.

Authorities identified the Capitol Police officer who died in the attack as William "Billy" Evans.

Berkshire County native William "Billy" Evans, who grew up in North Adams and neighboring Clarksburg, graduated from Western New England University.

Officer William Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force, was killed after Noah Green, 25, ploughed his vehicle into a security barrier on Capitol Hill on Friday afternoon before leaping out with a knife. The driver was shot dead by the police after he got out of the vehicle and tried to attack them with a knife.

"This time it does not appear to be an ongoing threat", Robert Contee, the acting chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, told reporters Friday. Green died at a Washington, D.C. hospital. He was a member of the first responders unit and an 18-year veteran of the U.S. Capitol Police. "We mourn with them during this hard time".

Reuters reported that dozens of police cars, marked and unmarked, had raced toward the Capitol building and that the complex had been placed in lockdown.

President Joe Biden issued a statement expressing condolences over the death of the police officer.

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You also don't need to self-quarantine after travel, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. However, the CDC had not made any move to review its guidance that discouraged all non-essential trips.

The breach happened inside the perimeter, as the driver slipped through a gate that had opened to allow traffic in and out of the Capitol and rammed a barrier that had protected the building long before January 6. The White House said that the president had been receiving updates about the incident as investigation progresses.

It comes as the Washington region remains on edge almost three months after a mob of armed insurrectionists loyal to former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden's presidential win.

Fortification of the Capitol was strengthened following the January 6 riot, but was recently eased.

Nearly 140 Capitol Police officers were wounded in that attack, including officers not issued helmets who sustained head injuries and one with cracked ribs, according to the officers' union.

The crash and shooting happened at a security checkpoint near the Capitol typically used by senators and staff on weekdays, though most are away from the building during the current recess.

Reports have also emerged identifying him as a follower of Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan, who has been described as an anti-Semite by anti-hate organization ADL.