Capitol Hill shooter shouts 'I'm a Prophet of God'

• Report rights infringement
• published: 29 Mar 2016
• views: 6

Capitol Hill shooter shouts 'I'm a Prophet of God' Capitol Hill shooter shouts 'I'm a Prophet of God' Capitol Hill shooter shouts 'I'm a Prophet of God' U.S. Capitol Shooter Larry Dawson Shouts ¿I'm a Prophet of God¿ Inside The House A Tennessee pastor has pulled a gun in the Capitol just months after he was banned from the building for disrupting Congress by yelling that he was a 'prophet of God.' Larry Russell Dawson was shot by police when he produced the weapon after it triggered metal detectors at the Capitol's visitor center - hours after an active shooter drill in the government building. The 66-year-old, who has been taken to hospital where he remains in a 'stable but critical condition', was gunned down before he was able to fire the gun shortly before 3pm today. A female visitor was hit by shrapnel from the police's gunfire. He has now been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and assault on a police officer while armed, authorities told DailyMail.com. Dawson, a married pastor at St Luke's Spiritual Church in Antioch, Nashville, had been banned from entering the Capitol building after an incident last year. In October, he was arrested in the US Capitol for disrupting Congress by yelling 'I am a prophet of God' from the balcony of the House of Representatives. According to court documents Dawson, who also shouted bible verses was removed from gallery but but attempted to flee from police. He was charged with assaulting a police officer during his arrest and unlawful conduct at the Capitol, the Daily Beast reports. Dawson was slapped with a Stay Away Order - which barred him from entering the U.S. Capitol building, grounds and all Congressional buildings, NBC Washington reports. The pastor has previously visited Washington on a number of occasions to call for a higher minimum wage as part of his church's Movement. Today's incident began at around 2.40pm when Dawson tried to walk through the metal detector of the visitor center and set the bleepers off. In response, he pulled a 'pellet gun' according to some reports, and pointed it at a screener - but was immediately shot and wounded by police. Dawson was taken to hospital for surgery and police said this evening he remains in a stable but critical condition. He will be presented to the District of Columbia Superior Court once he is discharged. Officers have also seized his car which was found nearby the Capitol building and is due to be searched. The shooting sparked confusion at the Capitol building as reports came soon after a scheduled active shooter drill, which staff had been notified about via email. Video posted on Instagram shows crowds running and screaming after the gunshots sounded. Many were shoe-less, having just taken them off to go through the security barrier. Capitol Police told DailyMail.com that the Capitol was in lock-down for around an hour after the shooting. Chief Verderosa praised the 'heroic and quick actions of the officers involved' in the incident. 'They performed their jobs flawlessly and I am thankful to have these officers as members of the USCP protecting our nation's greatest symbol of democracy,' he added. Verderosa added that security would be back to business as usual by tomorrow. 'I want to assure the American public and all visitors to the United States Capitol that the USCP continues to proudly and professionally protect the Capitol, CVC, and all other Congressional Buildings,' he said. 'We expect regular order of business by tomorrow morning at the CVC.' On Monday, visitor Cathryn Leff, who came to D.C. from California for the holiday, tweeted: 'Was at the #Visitor's Center... shots heard while going through #security it was a scramble... #Capitol #Evacuated after hiding behind wall.' She added: 'That moment when it goes down ..everyone is screaming & running and you can't see where the #shotsfired are from.' An email was sent to workers describing the 'potential security threat'. The email added: 'If you are outside, seek cover.' Meanwhile, the President and First Lady were hosting 35,000 people - including Beyonce, Jay Z, Shaquille O'Neal, and Idina Menzel - at the White House Easter Egg Roll just a few hundred meters away. The underground visitor center of the Capitol building was created to provide greater security after two police officers, Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson, were shot dead by a visitor in 1998. Visitors enter through a metal detector and bag check. Part of the building's security measures involve exercise drills. Indeed, staff received an email at 8am on Monday morning alerting them that they would be doing an active shooter drill. The email read in part: 'This is a Shelter-in-Place EXERCISE message from the USCP. (...) Exercise, Exercise. SHELTER IN PLACE. Gunshots have been reported on Capitol Hill requiring staff and visitors in the US Capitol Building to immediately shelter in place.' Capitol Hill shooter shouts 'I'm a Prophet of God'