Capitol cop killed by ‘Nation of Islam’ knife-man who mowed him down before being shot dead

The Capitol police officer killed by a knife-wielding driver on Friday has been identified as veteran cop Billy Evans. 

Evans had worked for the Capitol Police for 18 years. 

On Friday, he was killed and one of his fellow officers was critically injured when a suspect, named by NBC as Noah Green, mowed them down in his blue Nissan Altima. Green was then shot dead by other cops.  

He was not known to police in Washington DC but he did have a record in Virginia, according to law enforcement sources. 

It’s unclear what prompted him to carry out Friday’s attack. 

NBC reports that he was a follower of Nation of Islam but police are yet to confirm that. 

A Facebook page belonging to a man with his name has now been taken down. It showed he was a fan of the leader of Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakan. 

In a statement on Friday afternoon, Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said: ‘It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of Officer William ‘Billy’ Evans this afternoon from injuries he sustained following an attack at the North Barricade by a lone assailant. 

‘Officer Evans had been a member of the United States Capitol Police for 18 years. He began his USCP service on March 7, 2003, and was a member of the Capitol Division’s First Responder’s Unit. Please keep Officer Evans and his family in your thoughts and prayers.’ 

Fencing that had been in place around the Capitol since the January 6 riot was taken down just last week.  

Armed National Guardsmen were deployed immediately and have been seen patrolling the halls of government buildings but police say there is no outstanding threat.

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the cop who was killed. 

It’s unclear if President Biden has been briefed on the incident. It unfolded while White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was conducting her daily briefing.  

‘It is with a heavy heart that I come here to shed some light on the incident that occurred at the US Capitol.

‘At approximately 1.02 this afternoon, a suspect entered what we refer to as the north barricade of the Capitol. 

‘The suspect rammed his car into two of our officers then hit the north barricade barrier. The suspect exited the vehicle with a knife in hand. Our officers then engaged that suspect.

‘He did not respond to verbal commands, he started lunging towards officers, at which time USC officers fired upon the suspect. At this time, the suspect has been pronounced deceased.  

‘Two US Capitol Police Officers were transported to different hospitals. It is with a very very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumb to his injuries,’ she said. 

She did not reveal whether or not the suspect said anything while carrying out the attack, but said he was not known to the police. 

Neither the House or Senate is in session this week so lawmakers are back in their home states instead of being in the Capitol building.

The White House did not appear to have an immediate change in security posture in response to the situation at the Capitol. President Joe Biden had left to spend Easter at Camp David shortly before the incident occurred.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there is a member of the national security team, an acting chief of staff and a member of the press team traveling with him, as is standard operating procedure.

Traveling with Biden this weekend are Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff Yohannes Abraham, Chief of Staff & Executive Secretary for the National Security Council; Anthony Bernal, Assistant to the President & Advisor to the First Lady; and Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President. 

Driver broke through the only remaining security fence outside US Capitol building after other 7-ft razor wire steel fences and road blocks were removed a week ago 

The incident at the US Capitol unfolded just one week after 7-ft razor wire steel fences and road blocks around the complex were removed more than two months after the deadly January 6 riots. 

Steel fences and roads blocks were put in place to fortify the complex in the wake of the Capitol riots. 

The security measures, which at one point included wide scale fences and 25,000 National Guardsmen, have slowly been scaled back over the past two months. 

An outer security perimeter that was in place around the wider Capitol complex was finally removed last week. 

It included a 7-ft steel fence that had cost roughly $1.2 million a week.  

An inner layer of barricades and fences around the Capitol building itself still remains.  

It was this inner security perimeter that the knife-wielding suspect drove his car through on Friday. 

Authorities decided to keep the inner perimeter of fencing as law enforcement and lawmakers continue to try and hash out a long-term plan for security. 

Capitol Police had said last week when it announced it was taking down the outer security perimeter that they were ready to ‘quickly ramp up security at a moment’s notice’ if it was needed. 

The political pressure to remove the security fencing had been building for several weeks.

Members of the DC National Guard were deployed in the wake of Friday’s incident. 

There are currently still 2,300 National Guard personnel based in DC from the support mission that was initiated in the wake of the riot. 

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III last month approved a request by the Capitol Police for continued National Guard support through May 23.

Armed National Guardsmen were deployed immediately after Friday’s incident but was not immediately clear if they were among the 2,300 on duty for the support mission.

They were been seen patrolling the halls of government buildings.