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ARLINGTON, Va. (AP/WJZ) — The Pentagon constabulary unit connected Wednesday identified the serviceman who was fatally stabbed astatine a transit halfway extracurricular the Pentagon.
The Pentagon Force Protection Agency said Officer George Gonzalez was a New York autochthonal and Army seasoned who served successful Iraq. He’d been connected the constabulary unit for 3 years. He died aft being stabbed during a burst of unit astatine a transit halfway extracurricular the building, and a fishy was changeable by instrumentality enforcement and died astatine the scene.
The Pentagon, the office of the U.S. military, was temporarily placed connected lockdown Tuesday aft a antheral attacked the serviceman connected a autobus level soon aft 10:30 a.m. The ensuing violence, which included a volley of gunshots, resulted successful “several casualties,” said Woodrow Kusse, the main of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, which is liable for information successful the facility.
End of Watch Aug. 3, 2021.
Last night, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency observed End of Watch for Pentagon Police Officer George Gonzalez who was tragically killed yesterday during the incidental astatine the Pentagon autobus platform. 1/5 pic.twitter.com/lmTqIuqCir
— Pentagon Force Protection Agency (Official) (@PFPAOfficial) August 4, 2021
The fishy was identified by aggregate instrumentality enforcement officials arsenic Austin William Lanz, 27, of Georgia.
The serviceman was ambushed by Lanz, who ran astatine him and stabbed him successful the neck, according to 2 of the instrumentality enforcement officials. Responding officers past changeable and killed Lanz. Investigators were inactive trying to find a motive for the onslaught and were digging into Lanz’s background, including immoderate imaginable past of intelligence unwellness oregon immoderate crushed helium mightiness privation to people the Pentagon oregon constabulary officers.
The officials could not sermon the probe publically and spoke to The AP connected information of anonymity.
Lanz had enlisted successful the U.S. Marine Corps successful October 2012 but was “administratively separated” little than a period aboriginal and ne'er earned the rubric Marine, the Corps said successful a statement.
Lanz was arrested successful April successful Cobb County, Georgia, connected transgression trespassing and burglary charges, according to online tribunal records. The aforesaid day, a abstracted transgression lawsuit was filed against Lanz with six further charges, including 2 counts of aggravated artillery connected police, a number of making a violent menace and a complaint for rioting successful a penal institution, the records show.
A justice reduced his enslaved successful May to $30,000 and released him, imposing immoderate conditions, including that helium not ingest amerciable drugs and that helium acquisition a intelligence wellness evaluation. The charges against him were inactive listed arsenic pending. A spokesperson for the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Lanz had been antecedently held astatine the agency’s detention halfway but referred each different questions to the FBI’s tract bureau successful Washington.
An lawyer who represented Lanz successful the Georgia cases didn’t instantly respond to a telephone connection and email seeking comment, and messages near with household members astatine Lanz’s location successful the Atlanta suburb of Acworth, Georgia, were not instantly returned.
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Tuesday’s onslaught connected a engaged agelong of the Washington area’s proscription strategy jangled the nerves of a portion already primed to beryllium connected precocious alert for unit and imaginable intruders extracurricular national authorities buildings, peculiarly pursuing the Jan. 6 riot astatine the Capitol.
At a Pentagon quality conference, Kusse declined to corroborate that the serviceman had been killed oregon supply adjacent basal accusation astir however the unit had unfolded oregon however galore mightiness beryllium dead. He would lone accidental that an serviceman had been attacked and that “gunfire was exchanged.”
Kusse and different officials declined to regularisation retired coercion oregon supply immoderate different imaginable motive. But Kusse said the Pentagon analyzable was unafraid and “we are not actively looking for different fishy astatine this time.” He said the FBI was starring the investigation.
“I can’t compromise the ongoing investigation,” Kusse said.
The FBI confirmed lone that it was investigating and determination was “no ongoing menace to the public” but declined to connection details oregon a imaginable motive.
Later Tuesday, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency issued a connection confirming the nonaccomplishment of the officer, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed his condolences and said flags astatine the Pentagon volition beryllium flown astatine half-staff.
“This fallen serviceman died successful the enactment of duty, helping support the tens of thousands of radical who enactment successful — and who sojourn — the Pentagon connected a regular basis,” Austin said successful a statement. “This tragic decease contiguous is simply a stark reminder of the dangers they look and the sacrifices they make. We are everlastingly grateful for that work and the courageousness with which it is rendered.”
The onslaught occurred connected a Metro autobus level that is portion of the Pentagon Transit Center, a hub for subway and autobus lines. The presumption is steps from the Pentagon building, which is successful Arlington County, Virginia, conscionable crossed the Potomac River from Washington.
An Associated Press newsman adjacent the gathering heard aggregate gunshots, past a pause, past astatine slightest 1 further shot. Another AP writer heard constabulary yelling “shooter.”
A Pentagon announcement said the installation was connected lockdown, but that was lifted aft noon, but for the country astir the transgression scene.
Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were astatine the White House gathering with President Joe Biden astatine the clip of the shooting. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said Austin returned to the gathering and went to the Pentagon constabulary operations halfway to talk to the officers there.
It was not instantly wide whether immoderate further information measures mightiness beryllium instituted successful the area.
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In 2010, 2 officers with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency were wounded erstwhile a gunman approached them astatine a information screening area. The officers, who survived, returned fire, fatally wounding the gunman, identified arsenic John Patrick Bedell.
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