On Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) reported on social media that 911 received a "concerning call" about a possible active shooter in the Senate Office Buildings. However, it was all a false alarm.
Around 1:45 p.m. ET, the USCP explained that its officers were hard at work searching both inside and outside the Senate offices in response to a call alerting of a suspected shooter. Although authorities had not yet received confirmed reports of shots fired, they decided to issue a warning and asked all persons to stay away from the area while an investigation was conducted.
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 (@CapitolPolice) August 2, 2023
The USCP even asked people inside the buildings to seek shelter. However, at 4:04 p.m., the Capitol Police indicated that they were able to clear all the buildings.
4:04 pm: All buildings have been cleared at this time. The buildings have not been reopened.
— The U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) August 2, 2023
A few minutes later, the USCP declared that there was no active threat and informed via social media that they were preparing to reopen the Senate Office Buildings and allow people to enter. Although no further details have been released as to who made the call or what prompted it, all indications are that it was a false alarm.
4:17 pm: USCP is standing by to prepare the Senate office buildings for re-entry. There is no active threat at this time.
— The U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) August 2, 2023
