Active shooter at the Pentagon, police officer reported killed
This is a breaking story. This morning there was an active shooter at the transit platform in front of the Pentagon. CNN is reporting that a Pentagon Force Protection Agency police officer has succumbed to injuries. The Pentagon itself was locked down for about two hours, a restriction which has now been lifted and the shooter is reportedly no longer a threat.
Category: Breaking News, Police
FWIW: the AP report noted above indicates the deceased LEO died after being stabbed, not after being shot. The CNN report is noncommittal.
Based on that and the CNN report also linked above, it’s not clear at this point if the perp also had a firearm and if so, if he/she fired any shots.
Doubtless there will be calls for AR-15 bans within the hour regardless, while any fatalities are added to the official Chinese Bat Flu tally.
Naw, right now they’re in full “right-wing extremism” mode, so this will be put in that category.
Embrace the power of AND Mason.. it can be “right wing extrmist with a gun” AND “covid” as a cause of death… at least it can be if the ME is a dem..
Yeah, everything I’ve read so far indicates that there was a stabbing, followed by a “shooting incident.”
Little more detail on this Fox Linky. 5K+ comments.
We’ll do a Paul Harvey here and wait for the “rest of the story”.
Linky…DAMN IT!
https://www.foxnews.com/us/pentagon-lockdown-shooting-event-outside-building
I hate Fox News site. They always have a video up that has nothing to do with the story… Headline is about Pentagon, video is about Afghanistan/Taliban
For real. I won’t even attempt at home. Luckily, where I work blocks all that auto-stream crap. Umm, not that I often… Ahh, nev-mind nothing to see here. Carry on.
Yep it’s aggravating as all hell. And of late Fox has made it real difficult to skew from their headline video above the actual story, to get to a video of what you want to see. When I snagged that linky, it was the one that seemed to have the most info, at THAT point in time. 20 minutes later the whole interwebz was lighting up like a buncha stoners that just scored from a Colorado Smoke shop.
I monitor/scroll thru several dozen news feeds during the day. They all have gotten worse and worse. And it seems as if the writers/reporters went to the spapos seagull school of spelling, syntax, and fact checking.
Ban all AR-15 Knives. At least my HK/Benchmade auto knife is safe for awhile.
Now saying “multiple people down at the site of the shooting” – PFPA must not be getting much range time, spraying everyone in the vicinity like the NYPD? Perp reportedly only had a knife, so…
Stars& Stripes is reporting the attacker is dead.
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2021-08-03/pentagon-lockdown-gunshots-fired-metro-2429665.html
ABC appears to have the most complete story at this point. Per their account, the late LEO was attacked from behind and stabbed in the head. His assailant then grabbed the officer’s gun and shot him with same. The assailant was then killed; he either shot himself or was shot by other nearby LEOs. One bystander was also reported to have been injured.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/pentagon-lockdown-due-police-activity/story?id=79241602
CNBC’s account is reasonably consistent with ABC’s, but indicates the officer was stabbed repeatedly in the neck vice head and that the officer shot his assailant.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/03/pentagon-police-officer-killed-in-clash-outside-building-senator-says.html
The assailant enlisted in the USMC in Oct 2012. He never finished IET, lasting less than a month before being kicked out.
Assailant identified as 27 year old Austin William Lanz Of Georgia. No photo of him available on line this morning. Less than a month in, he must have separated from his platoon before or on Training Day 1.
Hack: Here is Austin William Lanz’s Mugshot as of 24 April 2021:
https://thegeorgiagazette.com/cobb/austin-lanz/
And therefore was not, and will never be a Marine.
So, this dead dirtbag walked up behind the officer, stabbed him in the base of his skull, then seized the officer’s pistol and started shooting. Guess the progs can’t blame the gun and they will have to blame the perpetrator. How unfortunate for the false anti-gun narrative.
No, they will blame the knife. Just like in Merrie Olde England, where there has been a campaign against sharp things (including kitchen knives) for several years. I don’t know what Gordon Ramsay has to say about that particular campaign, but I would love to hear him.
Austin William Lanz’s Cobb County, Georgia Mugshot as of 24 April 2021:
https://thegeorgiagazette.com/cobb/austin-lanz/
Reason For Booking:
Aggravated Battery Against Law Enforcement
Burglary First Degree
Criminal Trespass entering premise of another
Aggravated Battery Against Law Enforcement
Terroristic Threats and Acts (Felony)
CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY – 2ND DEGREE
Riot in a Penal Institution (Felony)
Willful Obstruction of a Law Enforcement Officer (Felony)
Yep. The “fine individual’s” bail was reduced in May; he made bail and was released with the additional conditions that (1) he stay away from illegal drugs, and (2) he undergo psychological evaluation.
In other words: once again, a judge allows the release of someone accused of serious violent crimes and they go on to commit more violent crimes. In this case, that release cost a Federal LEO his or her life.
You’d think judges would catch on to what appears to be a rather obvious pattern. But of course, those “learned judges” know better than the rest of us what’s best for society.
FWIW: Cobb County, GA, contains the NW part of the Atlanta metro area. It’s mostly outside the I-285 bypass, but a fair amount of the county is urban area.
Public Information.
The name of the two Judges who were involved in Austin Willaim Lanz’s case as well as the name of his Defense Lawyer are identified at this link.
Lanz’s initial Bond was reduced from $40K to $30K.
The 16 conditions of his Bond are also listed in the link.
You Be The Judge.
https://courtconnect.cobbcounty.org:4443/ccmag/ck_public_qry_doct.cp_dktrpt_frames?backto=P&case_id=21-W-3498&begin_date=&end_date=
Then there’s this. Really need to push the conspiracy that the Republic is under siege. Note, there is nothing in the report that has anything to do with the above instance…except the stories being linked sequentially via the media page. What is really scary is, it seems these folks were simple tourists, arrested for having guns while visiting the Capital. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/richmond-couple-arrested-with-loaded-guns-near-us-capitol-authorities-say/ar-AAMVPwJ?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531
Sad to say, but IMO they were dumb.
DC’s firearms laws are rather Draconian – getting a concealed carry permit is still virtually impossible, even though the SCOTUS slapped down their blanket ban on handgun ownership some years ago. And if I recall correctly, the courts have held that DC (and other states) can indeed regulate the concealed carry permit process.
Also as I recall DC doesn’t do reciprocity with other states re: concealed carry. And the Capitol is in DC, so any VA permits they might have had are not valid in DC.
Bottom line: if they had firearms with them while visiting the Capitol, they were violating local law. Ignorance may get them a lesser sentence, but it won’t – and shouldn’t – absolve them of guilt.
Whether DC’s laws should be what they today are is another argument entirely.
Agreed. My issue is the thinly veiled attempt at linking the two events.
Rule #1 of responsible gun owners-know the laws where you are and where you plan on going. The ONLY excuse may be-they were driving thru, got lost/turned around and wound up where they didn’t intend to be. And that only works if they were complaint with the laws in the places they were traveling from and to.
“… and where you plan on going…”
AND the various jurisdictions you pass through along the way (see my comment on Massachusetts).
“…that only works if…”
Doesn’t even work then.
MD and NJ are two other locations with IMO truly asinine laws regarding transport of weapons. If you’re going to/through either state, be VERY careful to (1) do your homework before leaving, and (2) “dot the I’s and cross the T’s” regarding what you transport and how you transport it.
I agree that couple were dumb.
As I see it, if they both have a CCL in Virginia, it’s on them to be familiar with the gun laws/restrictions in states (or in this case, DC) they visit.
Both face punishment up to 1 year in prison and a fine up to $2,500.00 – and that’s just for possessing the firearms.
They’ve jeopardized their ability to purchase firearms in the future, if convicted.
Massachusetts is another place to stay away from if you are traveling with a gun. Some years ago a man driving through Mass. had a gun secured in his trunk while driving through Mass. and went to prison for it.
Not exactly, Mom. They were from Richmond Virginia, about an hour or so away (depending on I95 traffic). They HAD to have known better than to bring ANY firearms or ammo into DC. Furthermore, they approached two officers (?!) to ask for directions and one of them saw the dumbass pistol sticking out of his pocket. Not sure of their motive, but they got what they deserved.
Edit: Well, maybe not what they deserved, as I don’t know the motive, but ignorance is rarely a useable excuse.
As I said to Hondo, I agree on all counts. I also agree those local laws are very scary. I loved visiting DC in the past. Another reason it won’t be happening again anytime soon
OAM:
Am confused.
This is what I read at the link:
“Hayes was charged with Carrying a Pistol without a License, Unregistered Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and Possession of a Large Capacity Feeding Device.”
“Carter was charged with Carrying a Pistol without a License, Unregistered Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and Unlawful Transportation of a Firearm.”
https://www.uscp.gov/media-center/press-releases/uscp-officer-spots-gun-arrests-couple-multiple-weapons-charges
Found some interesting information about Titus Hayes. He had to go to Richmond/Herico County Court several times for not having Car Insurance, for not getting his car inspected, for driving a vehicle that had defective equipment as well as having several speeding tickets.
I see a pattern here.
Am I missing something?
ninja (et al)
I agree with the collective assessment these people were at best dumb. I didn’t look into their histories, and was choosing to give the benefit of the doubt about them just being dumb.
The rest of my original comment was on the charges themselves. Yes, they were “unlicensed” in DC, but those charges infer illegally obtained, held, and used, as well as that “capacity” thing. In this case it was local illegality, though many would like to see this as the law of all the land.
It was the juxtaposition of this story with the topic of the OP, literally a “headline” between paragraphs of that first story, that rang my bell. Stories positioned in this way are intended to infer a narrative that the Republic is under siege. I’ve seen several news accounts headlined the police officer was killed at the Pentagon with the actual location, the bus terminal outside the Pentagon, buried several paragraphs down. Again, that serves a narrative.
Whether these two are sovereign citizens or just generic idiots is irrelevant (and yes, seeing the pattern too, now), the laws under which they are charged are the real threat to the Republic, IMHO. That, and the subtle ways in which a specific narrative is being fed to the public, with irrelevant, anecdotal “facts” attached.
If I am completely off-base here, my apologies. I’ve been reading the news too much lately (can’t stand talking heads on TV), and my genuinely sunny outlook on life is under a cloud. I’m really starting to wonder about where my country is heading.
Time to phone-a-friend and get some sun, wind and lead therapy. And maybe a Guinness.
Welcome South Sister OAM. Little cold snap ongoing here in God’s Country, mid 80sF and a nice breeze. There’s not a Guiness in the fridgerator right this minute but the Cold Beer Store isn’t 1/2 mile down the road. They’ll be good and frosty by the time you get here. And if a body has to, the Atlantic Beaches are 2 hours away. Waffle House 20 minutes.
Prep under way for a pan of chicken and cornbread dressing, just finished de-boning the yardbird. Won’t bake it until 0God45 of a morning.
Be of Good Cheer, I know the feeling about reading too many news feeds.
YOU are the Sunny Outlook of our lives AND the Sunshine of our days.
ps. I came close to getting jammed up on a driving trip thru Illynoise a few years back. Didn’t know about their gunz lawz and was packing. My man that I was meeting there clued me in. I won’t be going back thru there and do my checking and planning of routes closer now.
Thank You, OAM…
AGREE 100% what you commented, because the ninja family ponders on your sam thought every day:
“I’m really starting to wonder about where my country is heading.”
KoB nailed you. You ARE the “Sunny Outlook of our lives AND the Sunshine of our days.”
Thank You so much for sharing your insights and enjoyable posts.
Dittos.
“… pistol sticking out of his pocket.”
Dumb for more than one reason. I once had a misadventure with a knife I had attached to my web gear in a similar position and similarly “securely”. Quite embarrassing, but no jail time; and it did get me out of the field for a few days.
UPDATE:
“Pentagon Officer Killed In Stabbing Attack Identified As Army Veteran Who Served In Iraq”
https://www.foxnews.com/us/pentagon-officer-identified-stabbing-attack-suspect-terrorist-threats
“The Pentagon police officer who was killed after an assailant stabbed him in the neck at a metro hub outside the Department of Defense headquarters was identified Wednesday as George Gonzalez, a native New Yorker who previously served in Iraq.”
“Gonzalez joined the Pentagon Force Protection Agency as a police officer on July 22, 2018. A military and police veteran, he had served previously with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Army.”
“He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his service in Iraq. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he was a die-hard Yankees fan, the Pentagon Protection Agency said in a statement. He was a graduate of New York City’s Canarsie High School.”
Rest In Peace, Sir.
My condolences to the Law Enforcement Officer’s family.