The man who fired a nail gun at an FBI building in Cincinnati on Thursday before being killed by agents was inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, officials said.
Two officials familiar with the matter identified the suspect as Ricky Walter Shiffer.
Officers fatally shot the suspect after failing to negotiate with him, Ohio State Police spokesman Lt. Nathan Dennis told reporters.
The man raised a gun and officers opened fire, Dennis said.
It was not clear if he fired, Dennis said, nor was it clear who fired the fatal shot. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, which Dennis described as a rural area on Interstate 71.
No officers were injured and a possible motive remains under investigation, Dennis said.
Earlier, two law enforcement sources told NBC News that a man armed with an AR-15-style rifle entered the FBI building and fired a nail gun at staff before fleeing. in a car
“At approximately 9:15 a.m. EST, the Cincinnati FBI Field Office had an armed attempt to breach the Visitor Screening Facility (VSF),” FBI Cincinnati said in a statement . “Following the activation of an alarm and a response by armed special agents from the FBI, the subject fled northbound on Interstate 71.”
FBI Field Office in Cincinnati, Ohio.Google
The Clinton County Emergency Management Agency said Interstate 71 was closed in both directions in the area of the collision as of 1 p.m. The agency issued an update around 5 p.m. saying “police operations and response have ended.”
“Law enforcement has exchanged gunfire with a male suspect wearing a gray shirt and body armor,” the agency said in an initial statement, warning bystanders to stay inside and lock doors. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the suspect fired shots from a Ford Crown Victoria while being pursued by police.
Brian Murphy, a former Department of Homeland Security and FBI official who is now an executive at open-source intelligence firm Logic, told The Associate Press on Wednesday that his company has seen a large increase in threats against FBI personnel and facilities on social media. media platforms since the FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Largo home.
FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday denounced Trump supporters who have used violent rhetoric against law enforcement in the wake of the search.
“I’m always concerned about threats to law enforcement,” Wray said. “Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re upset with.”
This is breaking news. Check back for updates.
The Associated Press and Antonio Planas contributed.