People take cover as gun shots were being heard at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on October 3, 2013/AFP
WASHINGTON, Oct 4 – US investigators were trying to figure out what led a woman with a toddler in her car to ram into a White House barrier before leading police on a high speed chase which ended with her being shot dead.
Lawmakers and tourists scattered and ducked for cover Thursday as shots rang out during a police operation to halt the woman, who was driving with a one year old girl in her black sports car.
Washington police chief Cathy Lanier told reporters the suspect had been pronounced dead, but refused to discuss the driver’s possible motive while the investigation was ongoing.
“The child is approximately a year old, and is in good condition, and in protective custody,” Lanier said, adding that officers had fired shots at two locations as they tried to halt the vehicle.
A police statement said the car had Connecticut tags. It did not identify the driver.
Two TV stations CBS and ABC and the Washington Post newspaper identified her as Miriam Carey, from the city of Stamford.
ABC said she was a 34 year old dental hygienist and suffered from post partum depression after the birth of her daughter.
“She had post partum depression after having the baby” last August, said the woman’s mother, Idella Carey, ABC reported.
“A few months later, she got sick. She was depressed, She was hospitalized,” the mother told ABC.
Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said the motorist was a “black adult female” but that her identity was being withheld until her next of kin could be notified. He also said the young girl was unharmed.
Officials said the chase began at the outer perimeter of the White House security cordon, where the suspect’s car struck a barrier and a uniformed Secret Service officer.
At the White House and at the Capitol, the security perimeter worked, Lanier said, adding that a Capitol Police officer and a Secret Service agent had been injured.
“They did exactly what they were supposed to do. They stopped a suspect from breaching the security perimeter in a vehicle at both locations.”
No shots were fired at the White House, but agents gave chase. As the car closed in on the Capitol, the seat of Congress, it was cornered by police vehicles and armed officers on foot.
Footage aired by broadcasters showed the woman’s car executing a tight U turn as shots rang out, and then speeding off. Shortly afterwards it hit another barrier and more shots were fired.
About The Author
