The man who hit two police officers in a barricade outside the United States Capitol, killing one of them before being shot dead by police, was suffering from hallucinations, paranoia and suicidal tendencies. an official source told AP on Saturday.
Detectives speculate that it was an isolated incident, the work of a disturbed young man.
A video of the incident on Friday afternoon shows the driver coming out of the car with a knife in one hand and then running towards the pair of officers, the acting head of the Capitol Police told reporters , Yogananda Pittman. Officers shot the man, 25-year-old Noah Green, who died at a hospital.
Investigators are focusing on Green’s mental health as they try to find the reasons for the assault, said the source, who spoke with the PA on condition of anonymity over not having permission to publicly discuss the subject. He added that the detectives spoke to Green’s relatives, who reported that he was suffering from hallucinations.
Green described himself as a supporter of the Nation of Islam and its founder, Louis Farrakhan, and noted that when he went through a difficult time he relied on his faith, according to recent messages posted on the internet that have already been withdrawn. . The messages were collected by the SITE group, which tracks online activity.
“To be honest, these last few years have been tough, and these last few months have been harder,” he wrote. “I have been tested against some of the biggest and most unimaginable challenges in my life. I am currently unemployed after leaving my job due in part to afflictions, but ultimately in search of a journey. spiritual “.
It was the second death this year of an element of the Capitol Police, who are still fighting to recover from the January 6 insurrection. The attack highlights that the building and the area – as well as the agents assigned for its protection – remain potential targets for violent incidents.
Police identified the dead officer as William Evans, an 18-year-old veteran who was a member of the department’s first aid unit.
The Washington region is still on hold for nearly three months after a crowd of insurgents loyal to former President Donald Trump burst into the Capitol as Congress voted to certify Biden’s victory in the presidential election.
Five people were killed in the Jan. 6 assault, including Capitol agent Brian Sicknick, who was part of the contingent reduction of police trying to repel the intruders.
Authorities installed a high perimeter barrier around the Capitol and for months restricted traffic on the streets near the site, but had begun to relax some of the emergency measures. Barriers preventing vehicular traffic near the area were recently removed.