A shooting at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Family Research Council has left a security guard injured, according to the group.
The organization that advocates for Christian values and standards was targeted this morning and police are investigating, according to a statement from FRC President Tony Perkins.
“Our first concern is with our colleague who was shot today. Our concern is for him and his family,” Perkins said.
The group’s offices are in the 800 block of G Street N.W., and police officials told reporters a suspect was in custody in the shooting.
Fox News reported a suspect walked in, started yelling about things FRC supported and opened fire.
The organization, founded in 1983, works to forward faith, family and freedom issues in public policy. It informs lawmakers and staff on Capitol Hill, reviews legislation and provides expert testimony in Congress. The group has been active in exposing pro-abortion and other agendas of the Obama administration.
The pro-life news outlet LifeNews.com reported the attacker was a man posing as an intern.
LifeNews.com also reported FRC staff member Anna Maria Hoffman posted on Twitter, “Our security guard Leo got shot in the arm. Please keep him in your prayers.”
A public information officer for the Washington police department said the shooting happened about 10:45 a.m. Eastern.
“A security guard confronted the suspect, which is a matter of their policy. The suspect did fire upon the security guard. The security guard was struck, and transported to a hospital,” the police report said.
The security guard was listed in stable condition, police said.
“The suspect was apprehended on the scene and taken into custody. The motive is unknown,” the report said.
No identification of the suspect was released immediately.
FRC officials told WND no other details were available at this point.
The Washington Post said Police Chief Cathy Lanier credited the guard for his work.
“The security guard here is a hero, as far as I’m concerned,” Lanier said. “He did his job. The person never made it past the front.”
The report also said FBI spokesman James McJunkin said the reason for the attack remained unclear.
“We don’t know enough about him or his circumstances to determine what his connection is to this group or his mental state, or what he was doing or thinking of doing,” McJunkin said. “So we’re going to try to sort this all out, pull the evidence together, do all the interviews we can.”
