Officials ID police officer, suspect killed outside Pentagon

ARLINGTON, Va. — A Georgia man fatally stabbed a police officer Tuesday at a transit center near the Pentagon before shooting himself with the officer’s weapon, authorities said.

>> Read more trending news

Investigators said officers also “engaged the subject.” He was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Update 3:15 p.m. EDT Aug. 4: Officials with the FBI’s Washington Field Office confirmed Wednesday that Pentagon Police Officer George Gonzalez died on Tuesday after being attacked with a knife at the Pentagon Transit Center in Arlington.

Investigators said Gonzalez was attacked “without provocation” by 27-year-old Austin William Lanz, of Acworth, Georgia. In the ensuing struggle, Lanz managed to get hold of Gonzalez’s service weapon, which he used to shot himself, officials said.

“Other (Pentagon Force Protection Agency) officers engaged the subject, who ultimately died at the scene,” according to the FBI.

Authorities said a civilian bystander was also injured during the attack. The person was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not deemed to be life-threatening and has since been released.

Officials continue to investigate.

Update 10:40 a.m. EDT Aug. 4: Officials identified the slain police officer Wednesday as Pentagon Police Officer George Gonzalez, a U.S. Army veteran and Brooklyn, New York, native who joined the department in July 2018.

“A gregarious officer, he was well-liked and respected by his fellow officers,” officials with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency said in a series of social media posts.

“Officer Gonzalez embodied our values of integrity and service to others. As we mourn the loss of Officer Gonzalez, our commitment to serve and protect is stronger. Officer Gonzalez’s family is in our thoughts and prayers. May he rest in peace.”

Update 5:35 a.m. EDT Aug. 4: According to The Associated Press, officials said a man, later identified as 27-year-old Austin William Lanz of Georgia, attacked the Pentagon police officer on a bus platform about 10:30 a.m. Responding officers then opened fire at Lanz, killing him, the news agency reported. Two other bystanders also were hurt, officials told the AP.

Authorities have not released the name of the slain police officer, according to the AP.

Original report: The Pentagon was placed under lockdown Tuesday morning following a shooting reported near the building’s entrance, on a Metro bus platform that is part of the Pentagon Transit Center, according to officials and multiple reports.

At least one police officer was injured during the incident, The Associated Press reported, citing unidentified law enforcement officials. Authorities told the AP and CNN that the officer has since died.

A suspect was also shot by law enforcement and died at the scene, according to the AP.

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Chief Woody Kusse of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, which provides security for the U.S. military’s headquarters, declined to confirm whether an officer was killed in Tuesday’s incident or whether the officer had been shot or stabbed. He also declined to confirm whether the suspect had been killed.

“We are not actively looking for another suspect at this time,” Kusse said. “We don’t know what the motivation was.”

The incident began around 10:40 a.m. when a Pentagon police officer was attacked on a Metro bus platform, Kusse said. He added that there were “several casualties” but he declined to go into further detail.

“The Pentagon and the Pentagon reservation are safe and secured,” Kusse said.

The FBI is leading the investigation, the chief said.

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency said in a social media post around noon that the “scene of the incident is secure.” However, officials asked people to continue to avoid the area as authorities investigate.

The lockdown at the Pentagon was lifted around 12:15 p.m.

A Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed to Politico that a “shooting event” happened Tuesday morning near the Metro bus platform. The platform is just steps from the Pentagon building, according to The Associated Press.

Officials with the Arlington County, Virginia, Fire Department said in an update posted on Twitter around 11:30 a.m. that they found “multiple patients” at the scene of the incident. It was not immediately clear whether they were shot or the extent of their injuries.

Metro subway trains temporarily bypassed the Pentagon station following the shooting.

©2021 Cox Media Group