A U.S. Capitol Police officer who was wounded in a car-ramming attack on Friday was released from a hospital this weekend.
Officer Ken Shaver was discharged from a Washington, D.C., medical facility in a wheelchair on Saturday and met with cheers from uniformed law enforcement and other bystanders, video taken by NBC News showed.
Shaver was one of two officers to be struck just after 1 p.m. on Friday when a man in a blue sedan ran his vehicle into the North Barricade at the U.S. Capitol. The suspect got out of the vehicle with a knife and ran toward the pair, and at least one officer drew their weapon and shot the individual, the Capitol Police said.
All three were taken to the hospital. William “Billy” Evans, who was with the agency for 18 years, succumbed to his injuries. The suspect, who has been identified as a 25-year-old man named Noah Green, was taken into custody and later was declared dead. Capitol Police said Shaver was in stable and nonthreatening condition on Friday.
WATCH: Yesterday, U.S. Capitol Police Officer Kenny Shaver was released from the hospital to cheers from his USCP colleagues. pic.twitter.com/YzvKwvzbRq
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) April 4, 2021
CAPITOL OFFICER KILLED AFTER BEING RAMMED BY DRIVER; SUSPECT SHOT DEAD BY POLICE
“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,” acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said in a statement. “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.”
The attack, which prompted a Capitol complex lockdown, is under investigation.
Details from Green’s apparent Facebook account, which has since been taken down, indicated he had recently lost his job and appeared to be a follower of the Nation of Islam, a black separatist group led by Louis Farrakhan.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the U.S. Capitol to honor Evans, and President Joe Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels throughout the United States and its territories until sunset on Tuesday.
“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. 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,” Biden said in a statement.
