US Officer Dies after Being Attacked Outside Pentagon, Officials Say

An officer has died after being attacked on Tuesday morning at a transit station just outside the Pentagon, federal officials say.
The Pentagon Force Protection Agency, tasked with securing the building, identified the officer as George Gonzalez.
The suspect, who officials say ambushed and stabbed Gonzalez, died after being shot by law enforcement at the transit station, according to officials who were not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The PFPA said on Twitter the agency on Tuesday observed End of Watch, a ceremony following a police officer’s death, for Gonzalez.
Gonzalez joined the PFPA in July 2018 and was quickly promoted to senior officer in 2020, according to the agency. A military and police veteran, Gonzalez previously served with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Army. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his service in Iraq, according to the PFPA.
“He took our mission of ‘protecting those who protect our nation’ to heart,” the PFPA said. The agency described him as “gregarious” and “well-liked and respected by his fellow officers.”
“Officer Gonzalez embodied our values of integrity and service to others,” the agency said.
The suspect was identified by multiple law enforcement officials as Austin William Lanz, 27, of Georgia, the AP reported, adding investigators were attempting to determine a motive in the attack and were digging into Lanz’s background, including any potential history of mental illness or any reason he might want to target the Pentagon or police officers.
Lanz had enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in October 2012 but was “administratively separated” less than a month later and never earned the title Marine, the Corps said in a statement.
The Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. military, was temporarily placed on lockdown after the incident occurred near the entrance of the building. The violence broke out at a busy stretch of the Washington area’s transportation system, an area that is still on edge and reeling from the violence of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin extended his sympathies to Gonzalez’s loved ones and ordered flags at the Pentagon to be flown at half-staff to honor the officer.