The U.S. Capitol has been reopened following a precautionary lockdown imposed after shots were fired in what appears to be a suicide.
Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider says the suspected shooter was "neutralized" after a self-inflicted gunshot wound at about 1 p.m.
A "suspicious package" reported n the lower west terrace of the building turned out to be a suitcase belonging to the individual, according to DC radio station WTOP.
People in the Capitol and visitor center were told to "shelter in place," and no one was allowed to leave or enter the building. Some streets around the complex were closed until shortly before 4 p.m., and the west entrance to the Capitol remained closed even after the lockdown was lifted, according to multiple reports.
The incident occurred during Washington's annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors to the city.
With Congress on spring break few, if any, lawmakers were in the building. Congress is scheduled to reconvene on Monday.
![](http://images04.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2024-11/1time%20cher%20uss%20missouri%201200.jpg?itok=qi9yyMAM "Cher's more formal look in her 1989 music video, "If I Could Turn Back Time," filmed aboard the battleship USS Missouri. (Criteron Studios)")
