Police officer is killed in stabbing at Pentagon metro station
Pentagon police officer dies after being stabbed in the neck multiple times at the Pentagon bus platform as he and other officers shoot the assailant dead
- The stabbing took place on a Metro bus platform that is part of the Pentagon Transit Center Tuesday morning, sparking a lockdown
- The officer was stabbed multiple times in the neck, and opened fire on the unnamed assailant
- The assailant was shot and killed by officers on the scene, but it is not yet clear which fired the shot that killed him
- Arlington Fire Department said its crews encountered ‘multiple patients,’ among them a police officer who later died after being stabbed by suspect
- Suspect was shot at the scene by police and died from his injuries, reports say
- Lockdown went into effect at 10.30am and was lifted at 12.15pm
A police officer died after he was stabbed multiple times in the neck Tuesday morning at a transit station outside the Pentagon.
He and other officers on the scene reportedly opened fire on the unnamed assailant after the stabbing began.
The suspect was shot and killed, but it is not yet clear which officer fired the gunshot that hit the suspect.
‘The Pentagon Force Protection Agency mourns the tragic loss of a Pentagon Police Officer killed during this morning’s incident at the Pentagon,’ the agency said in a statement this afternoon. ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the Officer’s family. Additional info on the officer will be forthcoming, following full next of kin notification.’
During a press conference earlier in the afternoon, Pentagon Chief of Police Woodrow Kusse said that one of his officers was attacked on a bus platform by Pentagon’s Metro station at 10.37am. He repeatedly declined to confirm the officer’s death, or the suspect’s killing.
Kusse would only say that the crime scene was secure and that police were not looking for a second suspect, contrary to previous news reports. He also confirmed that multiple people were injured, but would not say how many, or comment on the extent of their injuries.
The Pentagon lifted the lockdown and reopened at 12.15pm, according to a tweet from the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, which said that the scene was secure.
Police block off an entrance to the Pentagon following reports of multiple gun shots fired on a bus platform near the facility’s Metro station Tuesday, killing an officer
Law enforcement officers from Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency and other police departments salute as a procession in honor of a police officer killed near the Pentagon passes by the US Capitol
Several people were said to have been injured in the shooting outside the Pentagon, among them a police officer who was stabbed and later died
The Pentagon was on lockdown for nearly two hours on Tuesday after multiple gunshots were fired
The lockdown went into effect at 10.30am and was lifted at 12.15pm on Tuesday
A crowded scene in the Metro bus station outside the Pentagon on Tuesday afternoon
Arlington Fire Department previously said its crews encountered ‘multiple patients,’ but it is unclear at this time if any of them was shot.
A police officer was said to be among the victims. He was taken to George Washington Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead from stab wounds, according to reports.
News that he had been stabbed in the neck was reported by NBC.
The deaths of the unnamed officer and the suspect were confirmed by officials who were not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The Fairfax County Police Department also tweeted condolences about the officer’s death.
Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, also took to Twitter to address the ‘passing of a Pentagon police officer, who was killed earlier this morning in a senseless act of violence outside the Pentagon.’
At the Pentagon news conference, Kusse declined to confirm that the officer had been killed or provide even basic information about how the violence had unfolded or how many might be dead. He would only say that an officer had been attacked and that ‘gunfire was exchanged.’
Kusse and other officials declined to rule out terrorism or provide any other potential motive. But, Kusse said the Pentagon complex was secure and ‘we are not actively looking for another suspect at this time.’ He said the FBI was leading the investigation.
‘I can’t compromise the ongoing investigation,’ Kusse said.
The FBI issued a similar statement, confirming only that it was investigating and that there was ‘no ongoing threat to the public’ but declining to offer details or a possible motive.
The incident occurred on a Metro bus platform that is part of the Pentagon Transit Center. The hub is just steps from the Pentagon building, which is in Arlington County, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
An Associated Press reporter near the building heard multiple gunshots, then a pause, then at least one additional shot. Another AP journalist heard police yelling ‘shooter.’
A Pentagon announcement said the facility was on lockdown due to ‘police activity.’
Pentagon Police Chief Woodrow Kusse refused to confirm the deaths of the officer and the suspect during a briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday
Emergency vehicles are seen outside the Pentagon Metro area Tuesday amid lockdown
Heavily armed law enforcement officers are seen near the entrance of the Pentagon after a report of an active shooter and lockdown in Washington, DC
Metro subway trains are bypassing the Pentagon because of the lockdown
A police officer holding an assault-style rifle is seen looking at vehicles outside the Pentagon
A police officer in tactical gear looks at vehicles outside the Pentagon on Tuesday as cops hunt for a shooting suspect
Metro subway trains were ordered to bypass the Pentagon due to the police investigation.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were at the White House meeting with President Joe Biden, at the time of the shooting.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Austin returned to the building and went to the Pentagon police operations center to speak to the officers there.
It was not immediately clear whether any additional security measures might be instituted in the area.
In 2010, two officers with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency were wounded when a gunman approached them at a security screening area. The officers, who survived, returned fire, fatally wounding the gunman, identified as John Patrick Bedell.
