A security guard working at the Securities and Exchange Commission shot a man at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on Friday, causing a stampede that briefly emptied the station on the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.
Heard the gun shots at Union Station. People are fleeing the scene.
Police told reporters the guard saw a man stab a woman in the SEC building around noon. The guard then chased the man into the train station, which is next door to the regulatory agency, where he shot him once. Police said the man and woman were believed to have been involved in a "domestic dispute."
Lt. Sean Conboy of the Metropolitan Police Department told BuzzFeed News the man shot by the guard later died from his injuries.
He was later identified as 57-year-old William Thomas Wilson, Jr. A family member told the Associated Press he had no history of conflicts with police, and the family worried he may be depressed.
The gunshot triggered a stampede in the station, with hundreds of passengers and employees running away.
Union Station hurried evacuation sirens everywhere
An Amtrak spokesperson told reporters that people had "self-evacuated," adding that the date of the incident — Sept. 11 — could have caused some to fear the shots came from a terrorist attack.
Chrystal Davenport, an employee who works at the Avis car rental booth on the second floor of the station, told BuzzFeed News she ran out of the station after hearing what she described as "a stampede."
"People were screaming 'Get out! There's a gun! Get out!'" Davenport said. "So I closed the curtain wall and ran."
Downstairs, at the Central Cafe cocktail bar, a bartender who gave his name only as Mahmoud said the scene reminded him of the attacks 14 years ago.
"It was exactly like 9/11," the bartender said. "Everybody ran out."
The station had reopened by 1:30 p.m., with most trains running on time.
Everything is back to normal at DC Union Station. Trains aren't even delayed.