NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The police officer killed outside the U.S. Capitol on Friday grew up in North Adams and was a 1998 graduate of Drury High School.

 

Capitol Police Officer William "Billy" Evans was one of two officers struck when a man rammed his car into them around 1 p.m. He then crashed the small sedan into a barrier on the north side of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., got out and lunged at officers with a knife and was shot and killed. Evans was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The other officer's name and condition have not yet been released.

 

Congress was not in session and the building and grounds were locked down for about two hours.

 

A procession of police and emergency vehicles escorted the Evan's body from the hospital and President Biden ordered flags be lowered to half staff. 

 

"Jill and I were heartbroken to learn of the violent attack at a security checkpoint on the U.S. Capitol grounds, which killed Officer William Evans of the U.S. Capitol Police, and left a fellow officer fighting for his life," the president said in a statement. "We send our heartfelt condolences to Officer Evans' family, and everyone grieving his loss. We know what a difficult time this has been for the Capitol, everyone who works there, and those who protect it."

 

Evans earned a degree in criminal justice from Western New England College in 2002. He had been a member of the Capitol Police for 18 years, beginning on March 7, 2003. He also had been a member Capitol Division's First Responder's Unit. 

 

He was reportedly the sixth member of the Capitol Police force to die in the line of duty. The barriers and fences around the Capitol were in response to the insurrection on Jan. 6 that killed Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick and injured nearly 140 others. Two other officers took their own lives in the days following the riot.

 

"This has been an extremely difficult time for U.S. Capitol Police after the events of Jan. 6 and now the events that have occurred here today," The force's acting Chief Yogananda Pittman said. "So I ask you to keep the U.S. Capitol Police family in your thoughts and prayers."

 

The suspect was identified as Noah Green, 25, of Norfolk, Va., said to be a follower of the Nation of Islam.