A security guard was shot in in the arm late Wednesday morning inside an office building near the heart of Chinatown in Northwest Washington, police say.
The shooting took place either near or at the offices of the Family Research Council, which is located at 801 G Street, about a block west of the Verizon Center. Police have a suspect in custody. ….
The guard is conscious and breathing.
LifeNews reports that another person was also shot:
Two people, including a security guard, were reportedly shot this morning at the headquarters of the pro-life group Family Research Council.
According to information provided to LifeNews from a Washington pro-life source, a man posing as an intern shot the guard at the FRC office located at 801 G Street, NW.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins confirmed the security officer was shot and said in a statement, “The police are investigating this incident. Our first concern is with our colleague who was shot today. Our concern is for him and his family.”
No word yet on motive, but obviously we’ll be closely following this story. Stay tuned for updates — and be careful about making assumptions. We’ve seen the media do that too often in other cases only to have it turn out that the perpetrator is a random lunatic.
Update: From the same LifeNews link:
According to a Fox News report: “A suspect walked in and started yelling about things they (FRC) supported & opened fire.”
Just bear in mind that the first hour or so after an incident provides more confusion than clarity to everyone outside of the investigation.
Update II: From Politico, the police are not making any statements on motive, other than to say that they haven’t yet ascertained it:
Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Officer Araz Alali confirmed to POLITICO that one security guard, an adult male, was shot in the arm at approximately 10:50 a.m. and was conscious and breathing after the shooting. He was transported to a local hospital.
Alali said one suspect is in custody in connection with the shooting and the investigation is ongoing. There is no motive in the case yet, Alali said.
The FBI is also investigation the shooting and an evidence response team is on the scene now, FBI public affairs specialist Rebecca Callahan told POLITICO. A suspect is in custody, she said, but while the investigation continues it is too early to determine the person’s connection with the FRC.
Update III: Fox News has that earlier report on line now.
Update (MKH): From the Washington Post, it looks like the security guard and several civilians worked together to subdue the shooter, thank God. The guard reportedly was shot in the arm, and is in stable condition.
A security guard at the Family Research Council was shot and wounded Wednesday morning after a scuffle in the lobby of the group’s headquarters in downtown Washington, authorities said.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the shooter walked into the lobby of the building at about 10:45 and was confronted by the security guard as if the guard was asking him where he was going.
The man then took out a gun and opened fire on the guard, Lanier said. The guard and others wrestled the man to the ground, disarmed him and waited for police, she said. The guard was then taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, the chief said.
The shooter is in FBI custody and has not yet been charged, authorities said.
“The security guard here is a hero, as far as I’m concerned,” Lanier said. ”He did his job. The person never made it past the front.”
James McJunkin, with the FBI, says they have little on the shooter:
“We don’t know enough about him or his circumstances to determine what his connection is to this group [the research council] or his mental state, or what he was doing or thinking of doing,” McJunkin said. “So we’re going to try to sort this all out, pull the evidence together, do all the interviews we can.”
Update (MKH): Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio tweets, “Just talked to FRC staffer inside building – says everyone is in state of shock — says they’ve had many threats over the years.”
Christianity Today reminds us a gunman took several hostage at FRC’s former parent group Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs in 1994.
Update (MKH): There is no mention of the shooting on either CNN’s Twitter feed or its website as of 1:52 p.m. EST. The bullpen at Townhall.com has been watching CNN coverage since the time of the shooting and has seen no mention of it. The shooting news is on MSNBC’s website.
Update (MKH): Fox News reports:
The suspect “made statements regarding their policies, and then opened fire with a gun striking a security guard,” a source told Fox News. WJLA-TV7 reported the suspect was also shot. Sources also said the gunman may have been carrying a bag from Chick-fil-A, the embattled fast-food restaurant whose president came under fire from gay activists after he said he did not agree with same-sex marriage.
Sources told Fox New that after guard took away his gun, the suspect said, “Don’t shoot me, it was not about you, it was what this place stands for.”
Update (MKH): Romney statement:
“I am appalled by the shooting today at the offices of the Family Research Council in our nation’s capital. There is no place for such violence in our society. My prayers go out to the wounded security guard and his family, as well as all the people at the Family Research Council whose sense of security has been shattered by today’s horrific events.”
Update (MKH): CNN “broke” the news of the shooting on its Twitter feed more than two hours after the shooting.
Update (MKH): WTOP reports police are searching a car in East Falls Church Metro station’s parking lot, where the suspect may have parked. That would mean he rode the Metro 10 stops before getting off near FRC’s office, at Gallery Place/Chinatown, if he parked there and came in via subway.
The man was taken into custody by the FBI and was being interviewed. Authorities haven’t released his name. WTOP confirmed the suspect may have parked at the East Falls Church Metro station.
FBI agents and Metro Police officers have blocked off part of the parking lot at East Falls Church with crime tape. Investigators are in the process of obtaining a warrant to search a car in the parking lot that they believe belongs to the shooting suspect, according to FBI Washington Field Office spokeswoman Rebecca Callahan.
Update (MKH): We have a name and age on the shooter. Brian Ross should stay far away from Google:
The suspect, a 28-year-old male from Virginia named Floyd Corkins, “made statements regarding their policies, and then opened fire with a gun striking a security guard,” a source told Fox News.
Update (MKH): The suspect “disagreed with Family Research Council.” Let the media criticism begin. The double standard is astounding.
Update (MKH): I had seen this rumor, but the NBC affiliate in Washington seems to have nailed it down:
Authorities found two loaded magazines with 15 rounds each in the suspect’s backpack, as well as Chik-Fil-A promotional materials, NBC4’s Jackie Bensen reported. The gun was purchased legally in Virginia five days ago, NBC News’s Pete Williams reported.
Also, this security guard is sounding even more badass as the day progresses. My prayers are with him:
The shooter entered the building at 801 G Street NW at around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday. He approached the front desk and said he was an intern. The guard questioned him, including asking what was in his backpack, which is when the shooter pulled a Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun from the backpack and fired at least one round, striking the guard in the arm.
Despite his injury, the guard gained control of the weapon and held it on the suspect. The security guard and others wrestled the shooter to the ground.
Update (MKH): This is the photo being cited by several blogs as a photo of Corkins, but I can’t find the original source, so a slight note of caution.
Update (MKH): Jake Tapper of ABC reports on Twitter, “i’m told the WH will have a statement on the FRC shooting, in the @PressSec gaggle.”
Update (MKH): Obama responds to FRC shooting. Press Secretary Jay Carney said he was notified of the event at 1:18 p.m.:
Obama expressed concern for a security guard that suffered a gunshot wound to the arm, professing his belief that “this type of violence has no place in our society,” per a pool report.
Which was the subject line of Mitt Romney’s 2:14 p.m. statement on this incident. Um, what he said?
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