U.S. Capitol shooting: Gunman taken in custody, lockdown lifted

A man was shot and taken into custody by the U.S. Capitol Police after he reportedly pulled out what appeared to be a weapon at the Capitol Visitor Center.

According to CNN, the suspect Larry Russell Dawson underwent surgery and is in a stable but critical condition.

"We believe this is an act of a single person who has frequented the Capitol grounds before, and there is no reason to believe this is anything more than a criminal act," U.S. Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa said.

Dawson faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon and assault on a police officer while armed and once he is released from the hospital, the 66-year-old will be presented to the District of Columbia Superior Court.

The suspect attempted to go through the metal detectors at the Capitol Visitor Center entrance and when those magnetometers beeped, he was stopped by security and then pulled out what appears to be a weapon following which a Capitol police officer then shot him.

The Capitol complex was locked down for nearly an hour following the incident, however, the Senate sergeant at arms has told staffers and others to "return to normal operations."

Congressional staffers were sent a notice to shelter in place, instructing them to lock doors and move to assigned shelter areas and the White House also briefly closed its North and South fence lines as a precautionary measure after the Capitol incident.