WASHINGTON: An armed man was wounded on Monday by U.S. Capitol Police when he arrived at the Capitol Visitor Center and brandished a weapon at authorities, police said.
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa said the man, who is known to authorities, appeared to draw his weapon when he was shot by police. One other person, described as a 35- to 45-year-old female bystander, suffered minor injuries from flying shrapnel or debris.
A federal law enforcement official, who is not authorized to comment publicly, said the man was armed with a handgun.
Verderosa said the matter was “the act of a single person who has frequented the Capitol before.” The suspect was identified by a federal law enforcement official as Larry Russell Dawson of Antioch, Tenn., who had been charged last year in a Capitol disturbance.
Dawson was charged Oct. 23 with assaulting a police officer and unlawful conduct on Capitol grounds, according to D.C. court records. He was released but never appeared in court. A bench warrant was issued Nov. 19 for his arrest.
