'Hero And A Patriot': Lawmakers Mourn Capitol Police Officer From Mass. Killed In Attack

BOSTON (CBS) - Massachusetts Congressman Bill Keating expressed sadness on Friday after hearing that two US Capitol Police officers were rammed by a car at a barricade near the building's access point. The crash killed veteran Capitol Police officer William 'Billy' Evans and injured the other. Evans was a was a native of North Adams, Massachusetts..

"I was shocked, frankly. I didn't think much could shock me these days in terms of what's happened," Rep. Keating told WBZ-TV on Friday.

CBS News Correspondent Kris Van Cleave reports that the suspect is 25-year-old Noah R. Greene of Indiana.

Capitol Police Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman said that after Greene rammed his car into the officers, he then exited his car and lunged at the officers. Police then fired at the suspect, killing him.

Keating highlighted how much Capitol police officers have had to go through over the last several months.

"These are our friends. There's a family relationship that we have with those officers. We spend so much time talking to them. We see them repeatedly from the morning to the night. They are there to be helpful to us and the public. And we saw less than three months ago, one officer killed, two officers taking their lives in the aftermath. I had very personal conversations, private conversations, with members. And the trauma that they suffered on January 6 and how they are coping with that. They had to get right back to work...They are not guarding the Capitol, they are guarding our democracy."

While the motive is still to be determined, Keating said he was alerted about the crash. He was not at the US Capitol on Friday, but the incident reminded him of the US Capitol riots on January 6.

"We were all alerted. We have instantaneous alerts. I saw the alert come up. And it wasn't the normal alert. I was stunned then as to what was going on. It said no one was to leave the building. Don't go near exterior windows. If you are outside, seek shelter. The only other time I heard words like that, that I can recall, were January 6th. And I wondered what was going on, and we still have to determine motive. It's an ongoing investigation."

Keating said that Greene likely knew he wasn't going to be successful in breaking through the barricade.

"Anyone taking an action like this must've known they were probably going to lose their own life in the process," he said. "This person that took the life of this police officer and injured another, they knew it evidently that they weren't going to penetrate that security."

In a statement, Congressman Richard Neal said his "heart broke" watching news of the incident.

"Today's news of the passing of USCP Officer William "Billy" Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force, is tragic, and hits home as Officer Evan's is a native of western Massachusetts," Neal said. "He is indeed a hometown hero and a patriot who risked and sadly lost his life to protect our country. We are a grateful nation in mourning. This evening, my thoughts are with his family and friends who are grieving his untimely passing."

Rep. Stephen F. Lynch said, "I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Capitol Police Officer, William Evans, who was killed in the line of duty today while defending the US Capitol from another attack. I remain grateful for the courageous service of all of our law enforcement personnel. I offer my prayers and support to the Evans family and to our Capitol Police families and I pray for a full recovery for the officers injured by this attack."