US Capitol was on lockdown Thursday, 3 October 2013, after shooting incident

Photo from Berin Szoka, used with permission, shows at center a black car that crashed into a security post after a shooting incident.

The best reporting from the Capitol today was from people close enough to the scene to be an eyewitness, yet not trapped in the need as a news organization to put a coherent story around the whole matter until it was well and thoroughly over.

I'm watching the whole thing from my office. The air's full of gunpowder smoke. It looks like police have the situation under control

— Berin Szoka (@BerinSzoka) October 3, 2013

Once it was over, you could make out the outlines of a story; as it was happening, it was hard to tell what was really going on, what with a “fog of war” situation and lots of people who weren’t anywhere near the scene breathlessly retweeting accounts from other people who also weren’t there. There are still loose ends, like the name of the shooter, a confirmation that she is deceased, the identity of a child, and the condition of a police officer in the incident.

Some news clips, for reference:

NY Times – “WASHINGTON — The United States Capitol was locked down for about a half-hour on Thursday afternoon after law enforcement officers shot and killed a woman who had been chased there in her car from the White House, law enforcement officials said.”

Washington Post – “Woman fatally shot near Capitol” – Authorities say the pursuit began at the White House when the unarmed woman tried to breach a security barrier, apparently with a child inside the vehicle.

Al Jazeera America – “An eyewitness video obtained by Al Jazeera shows a black sedan attempting to ram a barrier, and then police cornering the car with guns drawn. The driver maneuvered the car away, at which point gunshots can be heard. Eyewitnesses said the driver was female.”

Politico – “A joint press conference featuring updates from the Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service is scheduled for 6:00 pm EST on Thursday at Louisiana Ave. & Constitution Ave. NW.”

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