Witness reports dramatic scene

Shots in Washington

Witness reports dramatic scene – “It was surreal”

Two National Guardsmen were shot in Washington. An eyewitness reports the incident in the US capital.

Michael Ryan witnessed the shooting of National Guardsmen in Washington on Wednesday. In a short interview with t-online at the scene, the witness talks about the incident.

He was about to buy something to eat nearby when he heard what sounded like gunfire. “It definitely sounded like gunshots,” said the DC resident, who is in his mid-50s and said he has lived in the capital his entire life. Ryan ran half a block along with other passers-by and then heard another volley of shots.

When he returned to the scene a short time later, he said he saw two National Guard members lying across the street while bystanders tried to revive one of them. The other one “moved a little.” At the same time, other National Guard members pinned someone to the ground, Ryan said. “They had someone on the ground and were yelling at them to stay down.” Others hugged each other and were “obviously very upset.”

An armed man shot and killed two National Guard soldiers in the center of the US capital Washington on Wednesday. FBI chief Kash Patel said they were seriously injured and in “critical condition.” It had previously been said that the two National Guardsmen were dead. According to police, a suspect was arrested. Nothing is known about his identity or motive. Read more about the incident here.

For Ryan, the scene seemed unreal at first. “It was a little surreal at first.” He noticed how the tension was building up in him and others: “The adrenaline came on pretty quickly.” The sight shocked him. “It’s terrible to see this (…) just a terrible situation.”

The witness did not want to speculate on possible backgrounds. Nevertheless, this is “certainly not a normal criminal case”. He emphasized: “In this case it was the National Guardsmen who were armed. My best guess is that they were trying to protect themselves.”