[ad_1]
An officer died after being stabbed Tuesday during a burst of violence at a transit station outside the Pentagon, law enforcement officials told NBC News.
The Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. military, was temporarily placed on lockdown after gunshots were fired Tuesday morning near the entrance of the building.
A Pentagon Force Protection Agency officer was stabbed in the neck several times, sources told NBC News. The officer shot the assailant.
The officer was rushed to George Washington University Hospital in D.C. and died. No information was released on the condition of the assailant.
Nothing indicated a terror attack or attack on the military, NBC News reported.
More details about the violence are expected at a Pentagon news conference. The connection between the shooting and the stabbing of the officer was not immediately clear. The authorities did not immediately provide details or the sequence of events.
Multiple people needed assistance, the Arlington County fire department said. Information wasn’t immediately released on whether they were shot or on the extent of their injuries.
The Pentagon was put on lockdown after multiple gunshots were fired near a platform by the facility’s Metro station.
The police presence is centered at the Pentagon Transit Center, where buses stop south of the Pentagon.
Witness Dave Statter said live on News4 that he heard at least a dozen gunshots and then saw CPR performed on two people.
An Associated Press reporter near the building heard multiple gunshots, then a pause, then at least one additional shot. Another AP journalist heard police yelling “shooter.”
The lockdown in Arlington, Virginia, was lifted as of 12:15 p.m., the Pentagon Force Protection Agency said.
“The scene of the incident is secure. It is still an active crime scene,” the agency said. Members of the public are asked to avoid the area.
Chopper4 footage, taken from outside the large no-fly zone, showed many emergency vehicles on the scene.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were at the White House meeting with President Joe Biden at the time of the gunfire.
The incident is having ripple effects on transportation in the D.C. area, affecting riders of Metro’s Blue, Green, Orange, Silver and Yellow lines. Buses are stopping elsewhere, and some nearby streets are shut down.
A long line of people waited outside the Pentagon City Metro station near midday.
In 2010, two officers with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency were wounded when a gunman approached them at a security screening area. The officers, who survived, returned fire, fatally wounding the gunman, identified as John Patrick Bedell.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
[ad_2]
