Shots were fired at the Visitor Center at the Congressional Building in Washington. Police tried to stop a man with a gun. As a result of the incident, a woman was injured, the attacker was wounded and detained

Emergency services outside the US Congress building in Washington (Photo: AP)

A shooting occurred at the visitor center of the US Congress building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Reuters reports . An unknown man tried to enter the building with a gun, but the police stopped him.

CNN, citing its sources, reports that the attacker tried to enter the visitor center at the Congress building. After the metal detector went off, he pulled out a gun. A Capitol Police officer shot him. As a result of the incident, according to the TV channel, one woman was slightly injured; no police officers were injured. The victim was taken to the hospital.

“We believe these actions were committed by an individual who had frequented the Capitol grounds in the past. There is no reason to believe that this is anything more than just a criminal act,” Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa told reporters. “The suspect was taken into custody and hospitalized. The suspect is currently undergoing surgery. His condition is currently unknown. A weapon was found at the crime scene,” he added.

The police have already identified the name of the attacker. It turned out to be Larry Russell Dawson. In October last year, he was detained for resisting police after an incident in the US House of Representatives building. Then, according to court documents, he shouted to Congress that he was a “prophet from God.” In the documents, he appears as a 66-year-old resident of Tennessee, CNN reports.

The Congress building was closed for security reasons due to the incident. It was later opened to staff only; the visitor center remains closed.

There was a shooting at the US Congress building