Police lock down central Washington DC building after ‘active shooter’ report
POLICE evacuated an office building in Washington DC after receiving reports of an active shooter in the US capital.
Washington DC shooting: Police responded to a report of an active shooter
Emergency services including a SWAT team raced to the scene shortly after receiving a report of a shooting at 3pm local time (8pm GMT).
Police locked down an office building in the city centre and cleared it floor by floor. But after a thorough search, no gunman or any victims were found.
A police spokesman said officers had not found any evidence a gun had been fired.
Several roads were blocked while police carried out their search.
Washington DC police evacuated an office building in DuPont Circle
Shortly after the initial report, Sam Ford, a reporter for ABC news, posted a picture of people gathered outside an office building on Twitter with the caption: “Evacuees in front of a DuPont Circle Bldg where police responded initially for an active shooter.
“So far police have found nothing but they are still looking.”
DuPont Circle is located just under a mile away from the White House.
Because of its central location, the district is home to a number of foreign embassies, including missions belonging to Australia and South Africa.