US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger revealed during a Wednesday news conference that all three Senate office buildings were cleared in response to an active shooter report, explaining the 911 call was likely a hoax.
“This may have been a bogus call,” Manger told reporters at a briefing at roughly 4 p.m. local time.
“We responded within seconds, we had a group of officers there. We have been training for active shooters for the last couple of years … so it was very quickly, we had a group of about 20 officers who started going floor to floor through that building,” Manger said, noting that some 200 officers had successfully cleared all three buildings.
“So far we’ve found nothing concerning, we’ve got nobody that actually heard shots and certainly no victims and as we go through the building nobody has said they’ve seen anything,” the Capitol Police chief said.
He noted that additional calls came into 911, but that they believed it was friends and family of staffers who had told them about the lockdown and who then decided to call 911 themselves.
An initial statement issued by the USCP via Twitter just before 3 p.m. local time stated that officers were “searching in and around the Senate Office Buildings in response to a concerning 911 call. Please stay away from the area as we are still investigating."
"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," it added at the time.
Video posted on social media showed a group of people being led out of the Russell Senate Office Building with arms raised and through a police line. The building is the closer of three office buildings to the US Capitol and immediately adjacent to the USCP headquarters.
Observers noted at the time that police were searching the Dirksen and Hart Buildings as well.
Observers reported "at least 50" police cars reporting to the scene, including dozens of officers with "long guns" - that is, rifles - and said police were telling bystanders outside the buildings to "run away."
An alert that reportedly went out to Senate staffers was also circulating on social media, which described the steps to take in order to shelter in place. It included directives to "close, lock, and stay away from external doors and windows" and that no one will be permitted to enter or leave the building until directed to do so by Capitol Police.
Audio of the DC Fire and EMS dispatch sent out to officers was also posted online by reporters, revealing that the 911 caller “stated a staff member is shooting.”
A spokesperson for DC Metropolitan Police Department later told reporters that the active shooter report "appears to be a bad call," adding that "no injuries and no shooter were located."