Jump to content

2021 United States Capitol car attack: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 38°53′30″N 77°00′30″W / 38.8916°N 77.0083°W / 38.8916; -77.0083
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→‎Background: a closer reading of the source
m →‎Background: paraphrase
Line 41: Line 41:
People who knew Green described him as athletic and popular in high school and college,<ref name="Unraveling" /><ref name="WSLS" /> but after he graduated from CNU, he became deeply [[paranoid]] and religious, leaving family and friends concerned that his mental state was unraveling.<ref name="Unraveling" /><ref name="Hayes">{{Cite web|last=Hayes|first=Christal|title=Suspect in attack at U.S. Capitol described as average jock whose mental health appeared to quickly unravel|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/04/02/noah-green-went-from-football-player-posting-extremist-groups/7068100002/|date=April 3, 2021|website=USA Today|accessdate=April 3, 2021}}</ref> A U.S. official said Green, over time, suffered from increasing levels of [[delusion]]s, paranoia, and [[suicidal thoughts]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-politics-451c5c5154045d404d0db76270f78aac|agency=Associated Press|first1=Michael|last1=Balsamo|first2=Erick|last2=Tucker|first3=Nomaan|last3=Merchant|title=AP source: Suspect in Capitol attack suffered delusions|date=April 3, 2021|accessdate=April 3, 2021}}</ref> According to Green's brother, a few months before the attack, Green left Indianapolis and moved to [[Botswana]], where Green told his brother that "his mind was telling him to basically commit suicide." He jumped in front of a car, seriously injuring himself, and then returned to the U.S., where he moved in with his brother. The night before the attack, Green became violently ill and sent him a text message saying, "I'm just going to go and live and be homeless."<ref name="Unraveling" />
People who knew Green described him as athletic and popular in high school and college,<ref name="Unraveling" /><ref name="WSLS" /> but after he graduated from CNU, he became deeply [[paranoid]] and religious, leaving family and friends concerned that his mental state was unraveling.<ref name="Unraveling" /><ref name="Hayes">{{Cite web|last=Hayes|first=Christal|title=Suspect in attack at U.S. Capitol described as average jock whose mental health appeared to quickly unravel|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/04/02/noah-green-went-from-football-player-posting-extremist-groups/7068100002/|date=April 3, 2021|website=USA Today|accessdate=April 3, 2021}}</ref> A U.S. official said Green, over time, suffered from increasing levels of [[delusion]]s, paranoia, and [[suicidal thoughts]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-politics-451c5c5154045d404d0db76270f78aac|agency=Associated Press|first1=Michael|last1=Balsamo|first2=Erick|last2=Tucker|first3=Nomaan|last3=Merchant|title=AP source: Suspect in Capitol attack suffered delusions|date=April 3, 2021|accessdate=April 3, 2021}}</ref> According to Green's brother, a few months before the attack, Green left Indianapolis and moved to [[Botswana]], where Green told his brother that "his mind was telling him to basically commit suicide." He jumped in front of a car, seriously injuring himself, and then returned to the U.S., where he moved in with his brother. The night before the attack, Green became violently ill and sent him a text message saying, "I'm just going to go and live and be homeless."<ref name="Unraveling" />


According to investigators, Green was linked to an ideological cause which he believed "provided justification to commit violence."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nicholas Fandos, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio and Aishvarya Kavi |title=Here’s what we know about the man behind Friday’s attack on Capitol Hill. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/us/politics/heres-what-we-know-about-the-man-behind-fridays-attack-on-capitol-hill.html |access-date=7 April 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=5 April 2021 |language=en |quote=Investigators believed that Mr. Green was influenced by a combination of underlying mental health issues and a connection to an ideological cause that, he believed, provided justification to commit violence.}}</ref> Green was not known to police before the attack.<ref name=":0" />
According to investigators, Green was linked to an ideological movement which he believed "provided justification to commit violence."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nicholas Fandos, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio and Aishvarya Kavi |title=Here’s what we know about the man behind Friday’s attack on Capitol Hill. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/us/politics/heres-what-we-know-about-the-man-behind-fridays-attack-on-capitol-hill.html |access-date=7 April 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=5 April 2021 |language=en |quote=Investigators believed that Mr. Green was influenced by a combination of underlying mental health issues and a connection to an ideological cause that, he believed, provided justification to commit violence.}}</ref> Green was not known to police before the attack.<ref name=":0" />


====Paranoia====
====Paranoia====

Revision as of 11:33, 7 April 2021

For the attack in January, see 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.
April 2021 United States Capitol attack
The Capitol's Constitution Avenue checkpoint, where the attack occurred (pictured 2009)
North barricade is located in Central Washington, D.C.
North barricade
North barricade
LocationUnited States Capitol, Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates38°53′30″N 77°00′30″W / 38.8916°N 77.0083°W / 38.8916; -77.0083
DateApril 2, 2021
1:00 p.m. (EDT)
Attack type
Vehicle-ramming attack, menacing, stabbing
WeaponsCar, knife
Deaths2 (including the perpetrator)
Injured1
PerpetratorNoah Ricardo Green[1]
MotiveUnder investigation

The April 2021 United States Capitol attack occurred on April 2, 2021, when a man rammed a car into the north barricade outside the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., along Constitution Avenue.[2] One Capitol Police officer was killed, and another officer was injured.[3] During the attack, police officers shot the perpetrator. In response to the attack, the Capitol complex was locked down. Congress was in spring recess, so only a few Congresspeople were in the building.[4][5] The perpetrator, 25-year-old Noah Green, died at a hospital from the gunshots he sustained.[6][7]

Incident

Noah Green deliberately crashed a sedan[8][9] into a checkpoint on Constitution Avenue usually used by Senators and staff members on weekdays, about 100 yards (91 m) from the entrance of the building on the Senate side.[3] The vehicle rammed into two officers, before the driver exited with a knife.[10] He lunged at the officers and refused to listen to verbal commands before being shot.[11] He was arrested, hospitalized and died of his wounds soon afterward. One officer also died in a hospital.[12]

The Capitol was placed on lockdown after the attack and staff were told to shelter in place, while members of the National Guard's Immediate Reaction Force mobilized near the checkpoint.[3][13] The lockdown was lifted later that day.[14]

At the time, slightly less than 2,300 National Guard troops were assigned to protect the Capitol and its grounds, a mission that had begun after the January 6 attack against the Capitol. The number of troops had been drawn down from its peak for the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, when some 26,000 troops were stationed in the capital to provide security for the ceremony.[13]

Perpetrator

Early life and education

Noah R. Green, a 25-year-old African American man, was the assailant.[6][15] Born in Fairlea, West Virginia, into a family with ten children,[15] he grew up in Covington, Virginia, in the southwestern part of the state, and graduated from Alleghany High School.[16] In high school, he played football and participated in track and field.[16] He attended Glenville State College before transferring[6] to Christopher Newport University (CNU) in Newport News, Virginia, where he was a defensive back on the football team.[15][16]

Background

People who knew Green described him as athletic and popular in high school and college,[15][16] but after he graduated from CNU, he became deeply paranoid and religious, leaving family and friends concerned that his mental state was unraveling.[15][17] A U.S. official said Green, over time, suffered from increasing levels of delusions, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts.[18] According to Green's brother, a few months before the attack, Green left Indianapolis and moved to Botswana, where Green told his brother that "his mind was telling him to basically commit suicide." He jumped in front of a car, seriously injuring himself, and then returned to the U.S., where he moved in with his brother. The night before the attack, Green became violently ill and sent him a text message saying, "I'm just going to go and live and be homeless."[15]

According to investigators, Green was linked to an ideological movement which he believed "provided justification to commit violence."[19] Green was not known to police before the attack.[10]

Paranoia

Family and friends reported that Green believed people had drugged him with Xanax in 2019, leaving him with addiction and withdrawal symptoms. A former teammate told The Washington Post most people regarded Green's claim about Xanax as unrealistic. After moving into an apartment in Newport News, he reported hallucinations, headaches, heart palpitations, and suicidal thoughts, which his brother believed might be related to drug use or a mental disorder. One day, admittedly inspired by drugs, Green abruptly abandoned his apartment in Newport News and moved to Indianapolis. While there, Green told his brother that he believed his apartment was being broken into by intruders. Green's brother said he appeared to be mentally disturbed.[15]

Nation of Islam

Green became a follower of the Nation of Islam, a Black nationalist organization, and its leader Louis Farrakhan, who is known for his antisemitic statements.[6][17] On Facebook, Green called himself a "follower of Farrakhan" and posted messages in support of him and the group, as well as speeches and articles by Farrakhan and his predecessor Elijah Muhammad.[6][15] He petitioned to change his name to Noah Zaeem Muhammad in December 2020, but he did not attend the name change hearing in Indianapolis, which was held four days before the attack.[20]

Two weeks before the attack, Green posted a photo of a “Certificate of Completion” for a $1,085 donation he had made,[6][16] under the name "Noah X" (in the style of Nation of Islam spokesman Malcolm X),[20] to the Nation of Islam's Norfolk, Virginia, chapter for Saviours' Day, along with a link to a speech by Farrakhan called "The Divine Destruction of America".[6][16] After his death, the Nation of Islam said it "appeared Green had begun studying to become a member", but Green was not a "member in good standing in the Nation of Islam."[21]

Facebook

Green also wrote in Facebook posts shortly before the attack that "these past few years have been tough, and these past few months have been tougher" and that he quit his job "partly due to my afflictions".[6][15] He posted about the end times and the Antichrist.[6] In a March 15 post, he encouraged "everyone to study Revelations [recte Revelation], study the signs of end times, study who the best [recte beast] is, study who the anti-Christ is, study who the false prophet is, and study the created images during those times."[22] Two days later, he made a post possibly referring to his claim of being drugged by teammates, blaming the drugging for steering him off the "right track".[15] He also posted a Farrakhan video entitled "the crucifixion of Michael Jackson" on March 21.[22] In posts the week before the attack, Green wrote that he believed Farrakhan had saved him "after the terrible afflictions I have suffered presumably by the CIA and FBI, government agencies of the United States of America" and claimed that "I have suffered multiple home break-ins, food poisonings, assaults, unauthorized operations in the hospital, [and] mind control."[23][24]

Victim

William F. Evans
Born1980 (1980)
North Adams, Massachusetts, United States
Died (aged 41)
Washington, D.C., United States
EducationDrury High School
Police career
DepartmentUnited States Capitol Police
Service years18

William F. Evans (1980 – April 2, 2021)[25] was the Capitol Police officer killed during the attack. Born in North Adams, Massachusetts, the son of Howard and Janice Evans, he attended Drury High School, and joined the Capitol Police force on March 7, 2003.[26] He served for 18 years with the United States Capitol Police, and was a member of the first responder unit.[27] After Green attacked him and a fellow officer,[12] Evans died in George Washington University Hospital of his injuries.[28] He was the sixth Capitol Police officer to die in the line of duty since the force was created in 1828, and the second in 2021, after Brian Sicknick.[29][30]

Evans' body was driven away from the hospital with a police escort.[31] On April 6, 2021, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that Evans would lie in honor in the United States Capitol Rotunda on April 13, 2021.[32] Evans is one of only six people who were not a public official or military leader to lie in honor in the U.S. congress building.[33]

Response

Acting Capitol Police chief Yogananda Pittman said the attack "has been an extremely difficult time" for her police force, especially in the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol storming.[10]

Many members of Congress praised the actions of the Capitol Police, the National Guard, and other first responders; and they also offered condolences to the police force and the family of the slain police officer.[34][35] Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called Evans a "martyr for democracy"[8] and ordered the flags at the Capitol to be lowered to half-staff in his memory.[36] She offered her condolences and support to Evans' mother and two children.[8]

President Joe Biden said he and First Lady Jill Biden "were heartbroken to learn of the violent attack"; expressed condolences to Officer Evans' family and other bereaved; and expressed "the nation's gratitude to the Capitol Police, the National Guard Immediate Response Force, and others who quickly responded to this attack".[12][37][38] He ordered flags lowered to half-staff at the White House and all public buildings, as a sign of respect for the service and sacrifice of Capitol Police officers.[39]

Green's family issued a statement, saying they "were just as taken aback as the rest of the nation from this horrific event" and "feel great sympathy" for the police officers attacked. Green was "not a terrorist by any means", had "depression and potential mental illness", and "hardships with his peers" that began after repeated head trauma from playing football.[40]

See also

References

  1. ^ Segers, Grace (April 2, 2021). "1 officer killed, 1 injured in car ramming attack at street barricade outside U.S. Capitol". CBS News. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Date, Jack; Ordonez, Victor; Stoddart, Michelle (April 2, 2021). "Suspect identified in killing of officer at US Capitol barricade: Sources". ABC News. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Balsamo, Michael; Merchant, Nomaan; Long, Colleen (April 2, 2021). "Man rams car into 2 Capitol police; 1 officer, driver killed". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  4. ^ "Vehicle Attack at U.S. Capitol kills 1 officer and injures another. Suspect is killed by police". The New York Times. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  5. ^ "US Capitol: Police officer dies after car rams Capitol complex". BBC News. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Decker, Ben; Goldman, Adam; Kanno-Youngs, Zolan (April 2, 2021). "Suspect in Capitol attack appears to have been a follower of Louis Farrakhan". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  7. ^ Gregorian, Dareh; Caldwell, Leigh Ann; Dienst, Jonathan (April 2, 2021). "U.S. Capitol Police officer dies after attacker rammed car into checkpoint; suspect also dead". NBC News. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Romero, Dennis (April 2, 2021). "Police Officer William Evans, killed in Capitol car attack, was an 18-year veteran". NBC News. Retrieved April 3, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Ensor, Josie; Johnson, Jamie; Millward, David (April 2, 2021). "US Capitol police officer killed and another injured in car ramming". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c Olson, Tyler; Phillips, Morgan (April 2, 2021). "Capitol police officer dead, another wounded after car rams into barrier; suspect killed". Fox News. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  11. ^ Lonas, Lexi; Beitsch, Rebecca (April 2, 2021). "1 officer dead, 1 injured after car rams Capitol barrier; suspect fatally shot". The Hill. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Cohen, Zachary; Fox, Lauren; Dean, Jessica; Shortell, David (April 2, 2021). "Capitol Police officer killed, another injured after suspect rams car into police barrier outside building". CNN. Retrieved April 3, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ a b Ismay, John (April 2, 2021). "National Guard deploys 'immediate reaction force' in response to Capitol attack". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  14. ^ "US Capitol Police Officer Dies After Attack Outside Capitol; Suspect Also Dead". NBC New York. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Davies, Emily; Jouvenal, Justin; Miller, Michael E. (April 2, 2021). "Family and friends concerned Noah Green was unraveling before Capitol attack". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  16. ^ a b c d e f Williamson, Jeff (April 2, 2021). "Noah Green, the man who killed a Capitol Police officer Friday, played football at Alleghany High School". WSLS. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Hayes, Christal (April 3, 2021). "Suspect in attack at U.S. Capitol described as average jock whose mental health appeared to quickly unravel". USA Today. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  18. ^ Balsamo, Michael; Tucker, Erick; Merchant, Nomaan (April 3, 2021). "AP source: Suspect in Capitol attack suffered delusions". Associated Press. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  19. ^ Nicholas Fandos, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio and Aishvarya Kavi (April 5, 2021). "Here's what we know about the man behind Friday's attack on Capitol Hill". The New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2021. Investigators believed that Mr. Green was influenced by a combination of underlying mental health issues and a connection to an ideological cause that, he believed, provided justification to commit violence.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ a b "Capitol car ramming: One officer dead, one injured, attacker dead". The Jerusalem Post. April 3, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/04/06/evans-capitol-honor/
  22. ^ a b Heeb, Gina; Sandler, Rachel (April 2, 2021). "25-Year-Old Indiana Man Reportedly Suspect In Deadly Attack At U.S. Capitol". Forbes. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  23. ^ "Capitol suspect posted about fearing CIA and FBI". The Situation Room. CNN. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  24. ^ Tolan, Casey; Murphy, Paul; Gingras, Brynn; Campbell, Josh (April 3, 2021). "Suspect in Capitol car attack posted about fears of FBI and CIA week before ramming officer". CNN. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  25. ^ Paris, Francesca (April 2, 2021). "Officer killed in Capitol attack was a native of North Adams". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved April 4, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ D'Angelo, Bob (April 3, 2021). "Who was William Evans, the police officer killed in US Capitol incident?". KIRO 7. Retrieved April 3, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ^ Pittman, Yogananda (April 2, 2021). "Loss of USCP Officer William F. Evans". United States Capitol Police. Retrieved April 3, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ Gillespie, Tom (April 3, 2021). "US Capitol: Suspect shot dead and officer killed after car rams into police barricade". Sky News. Retrieved April 3, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. ^ Brice-Saddler, Michael; Natanson, Hannah; Tate, Julie (April 2, 2021). "U.S. Capitol Police Officer William 'Billy' Evans killed in the line of duty". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  30. ^ Brockell, Gillian; Duggan, Paul (April 2, 2021). "The assault of a president's son led to the creation of the U.S. Capitol Police". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  31. ^ Bensen, Jackie (April 2, 2021). "Police Procession for Capitol Police Officer William 'Billy' Evans Killed in Attack". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved April 3, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  32. ^ "Capitol police officer to lie in honor at rotunda April 13". AP NEWS. April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  33. ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/04/06/evans-capitol-honor/
  34. ^ Schultz, Marisa; McFall, Caitlin (April 2, 2021). "Lawmakers react to killing of one officer and injury of another at Capitol". Fox News. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  35. ^ Place, Nathan (April 2, 2021). "'Heartbroken' President Biden offers condolences after deadly Capitol car attack". The Independent. Retrieved April 2, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  36. ^ Rogers, Alex (April 2, 2021). "Pelosi orders US Capitol flags to be flown at half-staff to honor fallen officer". CNN. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  37. ^ Woodward, Alex (April 4, 2021). "Biden news: Trump blasts 'crazies' in Easter message, as president's son accuses him of 'smears'". The Independent. Retrieved April 4, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  38. ^ "Statement by President Joe Biden on Today's Attack Outside the Capitol" (Press release). White House Press Office. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  39. ^ "A Proclamation on Honoring United States Capitol Police Officers". The White House. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  40. ^ Mettler, Katie; Wang, Amy B.; Davies, Emily (April 3, 2021). "Latest Capitol attack reignites debate over security, fencing in D.C.; family of suspect expresses sympathy for officer killed". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2021_United_States_Capitol_car_attack&oldid=1016477332"