(Headline USA) A U.S. Capitol Police officer fired a gun inside a break room in a House office building on Tuesday and was promptly suspended—the latest stain for a police department struggling to regain the public’s trust after a rabid fox was able to breach security and a recent communications failure triggered an evacuation.
The agency said the officer discharged the firearm at around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Cannon House Office Building and its Office of Professional Responsibility launched an investigation. The officer was suspended as the investigation continues, police said.
The circumstances surrounding the gun discharge were unclear, but no injuries were immediately reported.
Tuesday’s episode comes as the Capitol Police try to restore the trust of the public more than a year after shutting down the entire building in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, uprising.
The incident is presumed to be the first firearm discharged inside the Capitol facility since USCP Lt. Michael Byrd shot and killed Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt as she crawled through a broken window into the Speakers Chamber.
Last month, the Capitol Police ordered the evacuation of the Capitol—sending congressional staffers fleeing from office buildings—over a plane that was flying near the complex.
It turned out the plane was actually carrying members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights who later parachuted into Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals, for the team’s Military Appreciation Night.
The Federal Aviation Administration later said it failed to notify the Capitol Police in advance about the flight, leading to the evacuation.
The episode represented a stunning communications breakdown, all the more remarkable because of Washington’s focus on improving security following the Jan. 6 clash, during which officers were left unprepared to stop thousands of people who broke through police lines and stormed the building.
Some officers were seen letting people into the Capitol building and cordially chatting with them, which has led to recent acquittals of J6 defendants who otherwise broke no laws.
In December 2021, police initiated a brief lockdown after a congressional staffer walked into a legislative building with a handgun in his bag and was allowed to proceed through the security checkpoint with it. The staffer was located and apprehended minutes later.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
