(Newswire.net — April 12, 2015) — Washington, DC., – A gunshot fired on Capitol Hill created a scene right out of a movie. Security officers, police, anti-terrorist forces, and snipers secured the perimeter, only to discover the shooter was a man who committed suicide on the stairs on the lower west terrace.
“Confirmed: self-inflicted gunshot by neutralized subject,” police representative Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said shortly after the incident.
A man died of the self-inflicted wound, no on else was hurt in the incident, DC Metropolitan Police spokesperson Sean Convoy said.
“A gentleman came up and shot himself,” DC resident Robert Bishop said. “He was 25 feet behind me, I thought it was a balloon popping, but he shot himself and had a suitcase,” a witness told Sputnik news agency.
The lockdown, described as a precautionary measure, lasted less than two hours. While the area was locked down, authorities investigated the suspicious package found at the scene. It was later discovered that the package was actually the backpack left by the man who committed suicide.
Reportedly, the police also searched the man’s car.
An unnamed official has told NBC Washington that there are no indications that the incident was terror related.
The person, who was carrying a blue backpack, had a note taped to his hand ABC news reported. The placard read, “Tax the 1 percent”. However, this report has not been confirmed because it was posted on Twitter accounts, ABC reported.
The incident occurred on Saturday during Washington’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival. There were no lawmakers present in a Congress during the spring break.
Earlier this year, the FBI arrested an Ohio man for plotting a terrorist attack on the Capitol, where he had planned to set off a series of bombs.