Police have sealed off the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill after reports that shots were fired from the garage of that structure. Four ambulances have been called to the scene according to published reports.
The Capitol's internal voice alarm system announced that Capitol police were investigating 'the sound of gunfire in the garage level of the Rayburn House Office Building.'
Representative Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), who was conducting a House Intelligence Committee hearing told Reuters, 'It's a little unsettling to get a Blackberry message put in front of you that says there's gunfire in the building.'
The House was not in session although the Senate was meeting when the incident took place. Most House members had left Washington for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
It is rare that violence takes place inside the U.S. Capitol. The last such incident took place in 1998 when a man with a history of mental illness shot and killed two Capitol police officers. The gunman was later wounded and taken into custody.
The investigation into the present situation continues.
