3 August 2023
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Parts of the U.S. Capitol were under lockdown Wednesday as Capitol Police responded to what was thought to be an active shooter threat.
“We found no confirmation that there was an active shooter,” said Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger.
It is now believed to be a bogus call, Manger said.
“The original caller to MPD, the call just bounces back,” Manger said. “They’ve tried a couple times and comes back with a different location every time.”
He said the call came at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, saying there was an active shooter in the Senate Hart Building.
Within seconds, Capitol Police responded and soon had 200 officers moving floor to floor throughout the building.
“We’ve had the advantage of having trained for this over the last couple of years,” Manger said. “We had a very quick response to this.”
Senate staff sheltered in place while officers went door-to-door, allowing people to leave, but not to enter.
“We were told to stay in there until we got further instructions, and about 20, 25 minutes later, a Capitol Hill policeman came in,” said Jim Cunningham, who was visiting the Capitol for business. “He basically said ‘OK, you can leave now, but go out single file, with your arms raised and we’ll get you out of there.'”
Manger said he doesn’t believe the incident is connected to former President Trump’s court appearance Thursday.
And it doesn’t change his department’s plans for security.