U.S. Capitol Police responded to an apparently false report of an active shooter in the United States Capitol Complex on Wednesday afternoon.
The alert was specific to the Senate office buildings that are north of the U.S. Capitol Building itself. At least one of the three major Senate office buildings, the Russell building, was evacuated.
“Our officers are searching in and around the Senate Office Buildings in response to a concerning 911 call. Please stay away from the area as we are still investigating. We will continue to communicate with the public here,” the Capitol Police tweeted at 2:45 p.m. “If you are inside the Senate Buildings, everyone inside should be sheltering in place.”
People being led out of Russell Senate Office Building amid reports of possible active shooter pic.twitter.com/VC4Kpe2Kux
— bryan metzger (@metzgov) August 2, 2023
At a press conference shortly after 4 p.m., the Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, Tom Manger, told reporters that, after their investigation, there was “no confirmation of a shooting at this time,” though he did not say that the investigation had concluded. “This may have been a bogus call,” Manger said.
The Capitol Police also announced that all buildings had been cleared.
On a D.C. Fire and EMS dispatch channel, a dispatcher had said that “a staff member is shooting,” according to an audio recording posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. However, no shots were later reported, according to Senate staff members who spoke with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“DC Fire and EMS tell me that the situation at Russell Senate Office Building is likely a mental health situation and not an active shooter,” wrote Adam Sabes, a reporter for Fox News.
“[The] call for an active shooter appears to be a bad call. No injuries and no shooter were located,” a spokesperson for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department told Nicholas Wu, a reporter for Politico.
Lawmakers are currently away from the Capitol over the August recess, with only congressional staff occupying the buildings.
An email from the House of Representatives Sergeant-at-Arms to staff stated that there were “no confirmed reports of gunshots,” and that access to most of the Capitol Complex would continue under normal procedures.
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