WTF???

[sunshinefizzy]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A lone gunman killed a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday before being wounded himself by return fire from other guards, sources confirmed to CNN.


Police cars mass outside the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington after a shooting there on Wednesday.

1 of 2 The suspect was identified as James von Brunn, an 88-year-old white supremacist from Maryland, two law enforcement officials told CNN.

The museum identified the guard as Stephen Tyrone Johns.

The gunman entered the museum at 12:50 p.m. with a rifle and immediately shot a museum security guard, said Chief Cathy Lanier of the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department. Two other security guards returned fire, wounding the gunman, she said.

Both the gunman and a security guard were taken to George Washington University Hospital, where the gunman was in "critical" condition, said D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. Neither Lanier nor Fenty would identify the gunman.

The museum released a statement saying Johns died "heroically in the line of duty."

"There are no words to express our grief and shock over these events. He served on the Museum's security staff for six years. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Johns' family," the statement said. "We have made the decision to close the Museum tomorrow in honor of Officer Johns, and our flags will be flown at half mast in his memory."

Emergency vehicles converged on the area, which is near the Washington Monument and other popular tourist attractions. The museum was full at the time, with a "couple of thousand" people inside, said William Parsons, the chief of staff.

"Never take your guard force and security people for granted," Parsons said. "They did exactly what they were supposed to do to protect people in the museum."

An FBI official said there was no prior warning or threat against the museum. In a later statement, the FBI said members of its National Capital Response Squad and Joint Terrorism Task Force are taking part in the investigation.

Lanier said the area around the museum was checked by bomb-sniffing dogs as a matter of routine.

President Obama was made aware of the incident, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.

"I walked in and I told him there had been a shooting at the museum," Gibbs said, adding that Obama was "obviously concerned for the security guard that appears to have been hurt ... obviously saddened by what has happened." See where the museum is located »

A witness, who identified herself as 19-year-old Maria without providing a last name, told CNN she heard five shots and saw a security guard lying wounded on the ground.

"It was definitely a security guard, he was down bleeding on the floor," she said. "He was face down. His back ... blood was coming out." Watch Maria describe what she saw »

Dave Pearson, a sixth-grade teacher in the Washington area, said he was on the museum's fourth floor when he heard a loud noise.

"At the time, we're visiting and all of a sudden there's like a boom, and all of a sudden they told us to stop where we're at," he told CNN's Ed Henry.

"Only thing we heard was a boom, and that was it." Watch another museum visitor tell what he saw »

A woman who did not give her name said she understood the shooting happened inside the museum near the security checkpoint at the entrance.

She said she was quickly evacuated.

"We did see yellow tape down the hall when we were being rushed out," she said. "They came in and said we had to leave right away, and they got us out."

The museum was closed for the rest of the day, and the museum statement said: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the officer and his family."
E-mail to a friend
Share this on:
Mixx
Facebook

Twitter

Digg

del.icio.us

reddit

MySpace

StumbleUpon
| Mixx it | Share

[Doodyville10019]

Yeah, what's up with that? I understand that the shooter was a white supremacist. I could never figure those people out.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the deceased security officer. He died with honor and courage.

[Waterston_Fan]

This guy was 88 years old? I don't even know about that.

That being said, I think he may be the oldest man to go on a rampage.

Just wait for the gun control advocates to start screaming.

[Nighthawk76]

This was a terrible thing to happen.

[Schmoopie]

I can't believe there wasn't more security in this building! It's terrible what happened to the security guard but I think whomever runs that museum should be held responsible for not taking the initiative to make sure the building was safe and that their employees were protected. How in the heck did this moron get into this museum with a gun and knife anyway? Most places I go (museums, especially) are so protected that it's like going to the airport with all the metal detectors and so forth. Just ridiculous about the lack of security.

[Waterston_Fan]

Originally Posted by Schmoopie

I can't believe there wasn't more security in this building! It's terrible what happened to the security guard but I think whomever runs that museum should be held responsible for not taking the initiative to make sure the building was safe and that their employees were protected. How in the heck did this moron get into this museum with a gun and knife anyway? Most places I go (museums, especially) are so protected that it's like going to the airport with all the metal detectors and so forth. Just ridiculous about the lack of security.

My understanding is, he just walked through the door, he hadn't gone through the magnetometer.