A Massachusetts man was discovered carrying a gun after attending a U.S. Capitol tour and leaving the nearby Library of Congress on Tuesday, according to a report by ABC News citing police officials.
Authorities in Washington were notified by Carlisle, Massachusetts police on Monday about a man with a firearm who had posted suicidal thoughts on social media and was heading to Washington.
The U.S. Secret Service and D.C. Metropolitan Police located the man in a Washington hotel early Tuesday, interviewed him, and conducted a search, but no weapon was found, and no further action was taken at that time, the report said.
“A full review of this incident has already been ordered, as well as mandatory refresher training on security screening, so this never happens again,” Capitol Police said in their statement, as reported by ABC News.
The report noted that the officer who conducted the screening at the magnetometer at the Capitol Visitor Center has been suspended while the US Capitol Police’s Office of Professional Responsibility investigates the officer’s handling of the search.
Capitol police have stated there is no evidence to suggest the man intended to harm Congress. However, sources told ABC News that a potentially suicidal individual managed to take a full tour of the Capitol with a gun, while both the public and Congress members were in close proximity.
