The U.S. Capitol Police Officer who was killed after a suspect rammed a car into police Friday afternoon has been identified as Billy Evans, a long-time member of the capitol police force, the department announced in a brief statement hours after the attack.
“It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of Officer William ‘Billy’ Evans this afternoon from injuries he sustained following an attack at the North Barricade by a lone assailant,” said Acting Police Chief Yogananda Pittman in a statement Friday afternoon, several hours after the attack. “Officer Evans had been a member of the United States Capitol Police for 18 years. He began his USCP service on March 7, 2003, and was a member of the Capitol Division’s First Responder’s Unit.”
“Please keep Officer Evans and his family in your thoughts and prayers,” she concluded.
Statement on the Loss of USCP Colleague Officer William "Billy" Evans: https://t.co/JMAEbTcbAp pic.twitter.com/DPvkAv5ptO
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) April 2, 2021
The police officer was killed after a suspect in a car entered the “North barricade of the Capitol” and rammed two on-duty officers and a barricade, Pittman said in a press conference earlier Friday. The suspect proceeded to exit the vehicle and charge aggressively at officers — in what Pittman described as a lunging motion — while wielding a knife.
The suspect was fatally shot by police and was subsequently transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. As The Daily Wire previously noted, reports indicate that the suspect identified as a follower of Nation of Islam, the group led by Louis Farrakhan. Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee said earlier Friday that officials don’t believe that the attack was terrorism-related, but emphasized that the investigation is ongoing.
“It does not appear to be terrorism-related, but obviously, we’ll continue to investigate to see if there’s some type of nexus along those lines,” he said.
One other police officer, whose name has not been publicly released, was also transported to an area hospital with unspecified injuries. The officer’s condition has not been publicly disclosed.
“I just ask that the public continue to keep U.S. Capitol police and their families in your prayers,” said Pittman. “This has been an extremely difficult time for U.S. Capitol Police. After the events of January 6, and now the events that have occurred here today.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has ordered flags at the Capitol at half-mast, and President Joe Biden has ordered the same for the White House.
“Jill and I were heartbroken to learn of the violent attack at a security checkpoint on the U.S. Capitol grounds, which killed Officer William Evans of the U.S. Capitol Police, and left a fellow officer fighting for his life,” said Biden in a statement. “We send our heartfelt condolences to Officer Evans’ family, and everyone grieving his loss. We know what a difficult time this has been for the Capitol, everyone who works there, and those who protect it.”