Police in Washington DC say they are investigating after the sound of
gunfire was heard in a House of Representatives office building.
The US Capitol has been sealed off and people in the building
have been told not to move.
The apparent shots were heard at the garage level of the Rayburn
building, which houses offices of members of the US House of Representatives.
No casualties have been reported, and police are searching the
area.
The Rayburn building is on the other side of Independence
Avenue from the Capitol complex. It is connected to the complex by
underground passages.
'Smell
of gunpowder'
Senate Sergeant at Arms Bill Pickle told Reuters news agency
there were no reports of any arrests or injuries.
" We have been told by staff of shots fired and the smell of
smoke in the lobby of the Rayburn House building, " Mr Pickle said.
" Police responded to the area
where they believed the shots came from and smelled what seemed to be
gunpowder, " he added.
The House of Representatives is not in session, but a committee
hearing was going on at the time of the incident.
Representative Peter Hoekstra, conducting the hearing, told
Associated Press he interrupted a witness to request those attending to
remain in the room and ordered the doors closed.
" It's a little unsettling
to get a Blackberry message put in front of you that says there's gunfire in
the building, " he said.
Eric Tamarkin, a congressman's assistant,
said security in the area was extremely strict. He said there were police
checks in place on the surrounding roads.
Some witnesses have pointed out there is a firing range in the
same building and on the same level as the garage. Others suggest the sounds
heard could have been a car backfiring.
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