WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Police found no shooter and no one injured after reports of a possible active shooter in the U.S. Capitol complex on Wednesday after a possible “bad call,” Washington Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Hugh Carew said.

“A call came in for an active shooter. It appears to be a bad call. No injuries and no shooter were located,” Carew said.

Earlier, U.S. Capitol Police urged people inside Senate office buildings to shelter in place.

The U.S. Senate was in summer recess with most lawmakers not in Washington. However, congressional offices retain a skeleton staff on site. There also typically are dozens of workers staffing Senate cafeterias and coffee shops, security posts and working on building maintenance, as well as tourists in the Capitol.

One Senate staffer said that while the Capitol building itself was not on the highest level of lockdown, police advised all workers there to remain in their offices.

“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,” the U.S. Capitol Police said in a post on social media.

Police said they responded to an emergency call.

An advisory from the Capitol Police urged people to move inside their offices and take emergency equipment. It also asked them to silence their electronic equipment and remain quiet.

There was a heavy police presence outside the buildings, with some staffers standing outside and tourists gathered around the perimeters of the Capitol complex. Reporting by Moira Warburton, Patricia Zengerle, Kanishka Singh and Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone and Doina Chiacu

  • @reverie
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    311 year ago

    938 0 days since armed invasion of Capitol

    • @Blamemeta
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      41 year ago

      Did you read the headline? There was no armed shooter.

    • @Hazdaz
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      21 year ago

      0 days since we’ve actually made an example of those J6 traitors instead of giving them just a slap on the wrists, and somehow we are surprised they might try it again.

      When they finally catch this latest lunatic, chances are he’ll get a months in prison. He’ll be out for the next election cycle!

  • Grammaton Cleric
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    301 year ago

    They already changed the article, citing “bad call”.

    • Muddybulldog
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      191 year ago

      So, somebody may have just just SWATted the US Capitol. Going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

      • Dark Arc
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        221 year ago

        My major concern would be someone testing response time…

        • @CADmonkey
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          21 year ago

          My thought was someone figured out a way to interfere with congress for just the price of a burner phone, but your comment makes more sense.

      • Echo Dot
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        1 year ago

        If somebody is actually dumb enough to do that then they’re probably dumb enough to do it from the personal phone. So this shouldn’t exactly require Sherlock Holmes to investigate.

  • @dhork
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    1 year ago

    FYI, article has been updated to indicate it might have been a false alarm. Article uses the term “bad call”…

    Police found no shooter and no one injured after reports of a possible active shooter in the U.S. Capitol complex on Wednesday after a possible “bad call,” Washington Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Hugh Carew said.

  • @Feathercrown
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    141 year ago

    Wow ok. Figured security would’ve been beefed up after Jan 6 but at least it was during recess.

  • AutoTL;DRB
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    141 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    The U.S. Senate was in summer recess and the majority of lawmakers were not in, but most offices retain a skeleton staff on site.

    There also are typically are dozens of workers staffing Senate cafeterias and coffee shops, security posts and working on building maintenance.

    It should be noted that we do not have any confirmed reports of gunshots," the U.S. Capitol Police said in a post on social media.

    An advisory from the Capitol Police urged people to move inside their offices and take emergency equipment.

    There was a heavy police presence outside the buildings, with some staffers standing outside and tourists gathered around the perimeters of the Capitol complex.


    I’m a bot and I’m open source!

    • @RGB3x3
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      21 year ago

      The fact that they get more than half the year away from work but won’t do jack shit for the regular American working 40+ hours a week, 5 or 6 days a week all year is maddening. ESPECIALLY because their salaries start at $174,000.

  • @[email protected]
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    -121 year ago

    Please be mindful about spreading false information that may be potentially traumatic. This triggered my ptsd from the fatality from gun violence at the capital on January 6th.

    • @SheeEttin
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      71 year ago

      If you’re that sensitive to it, you should probably use a lemmy client that supports keyword filters or something.

    • Chetzemoka
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      1 year ago

      Obvious troll is obvious

      My apologies if I read this wrong. In this context, I knee jerk assumed it was sarcastic

      • @BigToe
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        -11 year ago

        Why is it obvious? You don’t think J6 was traumatic?

        • Chetzemoka
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          21 year ago

          I have to apologize, my initial read on that was that it was sarcastic. Like that whole right wing way of derailing a conversation by using the correct terminology of empathy in the wrong way at the wrong time on purpose because they think it’s funny. And then the “whudabout teh tolerant left?!” cry.

          Reading it again, I can see that it could be sincere. I think it’s just an unexpected response to a news story on a public forum (as opposed to, say, a private conversation with friends), and that’s why I read it wrong in this particular context. There’s been a recent increase in conversation derailers that has me on the lookout for them

    • Remmock
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      21 year ago

      You mean the terrorist who was killed while attempting to breach our Capitol Building to overthrow our government?