Gunman Loose in The Capitol

October 30, 2003 11:03 AM

A friend reports that she's in lockdown in her office at The Canon House Office Building in Washington, D.C. due to a man wielding a .38 pistol. The Canon House Office Building houses 1/3 of the members of the United States Congress. Offices are now being searched for the gunman. He is supposedly a shorter man with dark hair and white shirt. News first emerged of the gunman around an hour ago.
posted by ericrolph (32 comments total)

Reporting so far is FoxNews with only a headline Police Search for Gunman on Capitol Hill and The Washington Post with a small front page blurb.
posted by ericrolph at 11:12 AM on October 30, 2003

I know we all share your hopes for a non-violent end to this. But unless the gunman is blogging as he darts through the corridors, this story probably doesn't belong on MeFi.
posted by stonerose at 11:12 AM on October 30, 2003

"Suspect described as white man, about 5-foot-3, about 140 pounds, with brown hair, possibly 20-23 years old... "

Troll.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:14 AM on October 30, 2003

haha Davis, whoop, another phone call: SWAT have been called in!
posted by ericrolph at 11:16 AM on October 30, 2003

I'm next door. There's a tunnel between my building and that one. I regularly go over there for lunch and to use the Post Office. They've closed the tunnel, but what's scary is that the guy could have easily come over before the lockdown, since he wouldn't have had to go through a security checkpoint.

I don't know anything other than what's in the news, though.
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:21 AM on October 30, 2003

I could have sworn I've read numerous articles about this new federal government division called the Department of Homeland Security, which was tasked with improving exactly this kind of weakness. Must have been in a dream.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:34 AM on October 30, 2003

CNN is reporting that there are two intruders, a man and a woman.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 11:36 AM on October 30, 2003

Authorities are looking for a white man described as 5 feet 3 and 140 pounds, she said. He was wearing a black suit and white shirt and carried a black and grey backpack.

The woman was wearing khaki pants, a pink shirt and sunglasses atop her head, Gissubel said. She is described as 5 feet 5 with long brown hair extending past her shoulders.

Beware the yuppies!
posted by monju_bosatsu at 11:37 AM on October 30, 2003

Maybe it's an NRA supporter just wanting to thank his congressmen.
posted by Dukebloo at 11:41 AM on October 30, 2003

What a joke, it turned out to be a Halloween costume. And I thought it just might have been a NRA lobbyist. Thanks Enj.
posted by ericrolph at 11:49 AM on October 30, 2003

The Washington Post reports the same:

The incident at the Cannon House Office Building is "over," according to Capitol Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer.

Gainer said that the culprit was a toy gun that was a part of a Halloween costume.

posted by ericrolph at 11:56 AM on October 30, 2003

I was wondering what kind of gun had a blue barrel and white handle. That was quick in hitting the news though...
posted by dabitch at 11:56 AM on October 30, 2003

HA!
posted by rich at 11:58 AM on October 30, 2003

MetaFifteenMinutesOfFameFilter
posted by alms at 12:00 PM on October 30, 2003

I guess I can go to the bathroom now.
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:00 PM on October 30, 2003

Thank you all for this lovely object lesson in why breaking news does not belong on MetaFilter.

And, no, you can't have your toy gun back.
posted by briank at 12:03 PM on October 30, 2003

Yep, and why, if you're going to dress up for Halloween and go into public buildings, its best to not go as a soldier or terrorist. The guards have little or no sense of humor and you could wind up on the wrong end of a body cavity search.

Doh!
posted by fenriq at 12:06 PM on October 30, 2003

congresscritters in peril?

team mefi: ASSEMBLE!
posted by mcsweetie at 12:16 PM on October 30, 2003

It can't be over yet, isn't there a truck on fire somewhere? or a car chase?
posted by dirtylittlemonkey at 12:39 PM on October 30, 2003

There's a sad-eyed dachsund somewhere trying to lick his recently removed testicles. Will that suffice, DLM?

/obscurestorefilter
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:01 PM on October 30, 2003

I could have sworn I've read numerous articles about this new federal government division called the Department of Homeland Security

No, no, you don't understand. See, they're so good at their job that they knew it was a fake gun. Which is why they did nothing to prevent it from getting inside. Had this been a real gun, I'm sure they would have caught it.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 1:01 PM on October 30, 2003

"Calculon, come quick, before a firey explosion chases someone down a shadowy hallway!"
posted by WolfDaddy at 2:11 PM on October 30, 2003

There's a sad-eyed dachsund somewhere trying to lick his recently removed testicles.

one word: neuticles!
posted by quonsar at 2:15 PM on October 30, 2003

# | one word: neuticles!

Ahh, neuticles. They give a new meaning to the phrase, "Hey, boy! Go get your ball!"
posted by antifreez_ at 2:25 PM on October 30, 2003

the wrong end of a body cavity search

I'm not sure I can think of an end that I would describe as "right."
posted by cortex at 3:29 PM on October 30, 2003

Cortex, in the realm of BCS's, it is always preferable to give rather than receive though neither position is much fun.
posted by fenriq at 4:33 PM on October 30, 2003

Well, before Matt deletes this, I want to thank Baal for the fine security people who are protecting Our Nation's Leaders from the menace of toy guns.

The NTRA could not be reached for comment, but they did have a neat bumper sticker that says "You'll pry my toy gun from my cold plastic hand."
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:57 PM on October 30, 2003

Speaking of toy guns...did you guys see this story? Kid has a toy guy, all hell breaks loose...
posted by dejah420 at 7:22 PM on October 30, 2003

Next week on a very special NBC Movie of the Week:
Saving MrMoonPie.
posted by NorthernLite at 8:24 PM on October 30, 2003

Dejah Thanks for that link. I heard the story on the Mike Malloy Show and wanted to see the details.

Apparently the police there don't know the difference between a 9 year old and a "youth". Although I'm surprised that "very real looking" toy guns are still legal. I thought they'd been required to make them all in toy colors now.
posted by Goofyy at 12:28 AM on October 31, 2003

"Fool goes Halloweening with toy gun" seems more like MeFi material than "lone gunman loose in the capital".
posted by DBAPaul at 4:15 AM on October 31, 2003

Well, that's 4 minutes of my life I'm never getting back.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:20 AM on October 31, 2003