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An Officer Is Killed In An Attack Outside The Pentagon, Officials Say

By Joel Rose,

Deepa Shivaram

Published August 3, 2021 at 3:39 PM EDT

Police are looking at a scene and items are seen on the ground near a Metrobus outside the Pentagon Metro area, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021 at the Pentagon in Washington. A police officer died, a law enforcement official told NPR but Pentagon Police have not confirmed the death.

Updated August 3, 2021 at 6:42 PM ET

A police officer has been killed in a violent incident near the Pentagon transit center in Virginia, officials confirm. The officer has not been publicly identified.

The Associated Press reports that the officer was stabbed and that a suspect was shot by law enforcement and died at the scene. NPR has not independently confirmed this information. Authorities have released few details about Tuesday's incident.

The chief of the Pentagon police, Woodrow Kusse, confirmed that a Pentagon police officer was attacked on a bus platform at 10:37 a.m. Gunfire was exchanged, Kusse said at a Pentagon news briefing, and there were several casualties. Kusse added that the scene is secure and that the FBI is leading the investigation, which he said was standard process.

Pentagon Police Chief Woodrow Kusse speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021. — Pentagon Police Chief Woodrow Kusse told the press on Tuesday that it was premature to determine whether the attack was a terrorist incident.

The FBI released a statement to NPR saying it also could not provide further information but said, "There is no ongoing threat to the public."

Kusse also said it was premature to determine whether the attack was a terrorist incident.

Defense Department press secretary John Kirby said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was at the White House when the incident occurred.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said on Twitter that a Pentagon police officer was killed "in a senseless act of violence" and offered his condolences to the officer's family.