U.S. Capitol Police Officer William F. Evans was recognized by leaders and loved ones after losing his life in the line of duty Friday.
Mr. Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force, died after being struck by a car at a security checkpoint on the north side of the Capitol building. The driver was fatally shot by police moments later.
Jason LaForest, a city councilor for North Adams, Massachusetts, told local reporters that Mr. Evans was born and spent much of his childhood there before later moving to nearby Clarksburg as a kid.
Mr. Evans attended Drury High School in North Adams, said Mr. LaForest. He later graduated from Western New England University in 2002 with a bachelor’s in criminal justice, The Boston Globe reported.
“He was an all-American kid in the sense that he grew up in a small town, played sports and was a member of the band,” said state Rep. John Barrett, a former North Adams mayor, The Globe reported.
Mr. LaForest said that Mr. Evans had recently turned 41 and had two young children, a boy and girl, The Berkshire Eagle newspaper reported. U.S. Capitol Police said his family has requested privacy.
“He loved making people laugh,” Mr. LaForest told The Eagle, a daily newspaper published out of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. “He loved telling jokes and carrying out pranks on his friends and family. He loved being a dad. And he was so proud to be a U.S. Capitol Police Officer. He carried his badge everywhere. He was just so proud, and his family was so proud of him. We were all proud of him.”
Sen. Ed Markey, Massachusetts Democrat, said Mr. Evans was “a hero, a patriot, and a beloved father and friend” and that he is requesting a full investigation into the attack, The Eagle reported.
Yogananda Pittman, the acting chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, said in a statement that Mr. Evans joined the force on March 7, 2003, and was a member of the Capitol Division’s First Responder’s Unit.
President Biden said he was “heartbroken” to learn of the attack and ordered American flags at all federal buildings to be flown at half-staff in honor of Mr. Evans until sunset on Monday, April 6.
At that point, precisely three months will have passed since the previous violent attack at the Capitol resulted in the deaths of several people, including Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick.
“This has been an extremely difficult time for Capitol Police after the events of Jan. 6 and now the events that have occurred here,” the acting Capitol Police chief told reporters Friday afternoon.
Noah Ricardo Green, 25, has been identified by several news outlets as the driver of the car that struck Mr. Evans and another Capitol Police officer shortly before it rammed into a security barrier.
Law enforcement officers shot and killed the suspect when he exited the car moments later and lunged toward them with a knife, the acting chief of police said during a press conference Friday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, called Mr. Evans “a martyr for our democracy” and said that Congress remains “profoundly grateful” for the selflessness exhibited by Capitol police.
