U.S. Capitol Police locked down and evacuated the Russell Senate Office Building following a "bad call" about a potential active shooter situation on Wednesday afternoon.
A Metro Police Department spokesperson told the Washington Examiner, "A call came in for an active shooter. It appears to be a bad call. No injuries and no shooter were located. MPD is assisting U.S. Capitol Police."
THE MIXED MESSAGES OF BIDENOMICS
The call to MPD came at 2:30 p.m. and prompted the Capitol Police to rush to Capitol grounds to evacuate the Russell building.
Law enforcement and emergency medical services were on scene for over an hour while Senate staffers and workers were led out of their officers with their hands in the air.
"I think at this point, we can say that we found no confirmation that there was an act and that this may have been a bogus call," U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said in a press briefing.
Nearly 200 police officers started going from floor to floor in the Russell building, and additional 911 calls came moments after from concerned employees, Manger told reporters.
The officers cleared all three floors as of 4 p.m. after going through the building and not finding any confirmation of a shooter, adding that they “have no other information.”
Manger said the chaos all started from one call, but no one heard any gun shots and there were no victims.
"Please stay away from the area as we are still investigating. We will continue to communicate with the public here," the Capitol Police said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at 2:48 p.m. "If you are inside the Senate Buildings, everyone inside should be sheltering in place as the report was for a possible active shooter. It should be noted that we do not have any confirmed reports of gunshots."
An email sent out to congressional staff shortly after the initial reports warned people to move inside their office or the nearest office and lock their doors “due to a security threat inside the building.”
3:43 pm: USCP is still continuing to investigate. Please continue to shelter in place.
— The U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) August 2, 2023
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USCP continued to investigate the events and did not lift the shelter in place order for over an hour, but they gave the all clear around 4 p.m.
Lawmakers broke for their August recess last week meaning many members are not currently working from their Washington offices. However, staffers and other employees are still working on the Capitol.