A Pentagon police officer was stabbed and killed Tuesday in an altercation at the complex’s transit center, according to Pentagon officials.

The FBI said Wednesday that a man got off a bus at the Pentagon transit center and “immediately, without provocation” attacked the officer with a knife, mortally wounding him.  The man then took the officer’s service weapon and shot himself before other Pentagon officers shot him as well.

Pentagon Force Protection Agency officials identified the officer who was killed as George Gonzalez on Wednesday morning.

Gonzalez, a native of Brooklyn, New York, joined the PFPA three years ago after serving with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Transportation Security Administration, the PFPA said in a Twitter thread. He was promoted twice at the Pentagon and was a senior officer. He also served in the Army and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his service in Iraq.

Gonzalez was a “die-hard Yankees fan,” per the PFPA, and graduated from New York City’s Canarsie High School.

“As a Pentagon Police officer, he took our mission of ‘protecting those who protect our nation’ to heart,” the agency said on Twitter. “A gregarious officer, he was well-liked and respected by his fellow officers.

“Officer Gonzalez embodied our values of integrity and service to others. As we mourn the loss of Officer Gonzalez, our commitment to serve and protect is stronger. Officer Gonzalez’s family is in our thoughts and prayers. May he rest in peace.”

The suspect was identified as Austin William Lanz, 27, of Acworth, Georgia, according to the FBI Washington Field Office, which tweeted a timeline of the events on Wednesday.

They say Lanz exited a bus and “immediately, without provocation, attacked” Gonzalez with a knife.

“A struggle ensued, in which the subject mortally wounded Officer Gonzalez and then shot himself with the officer’s service weapon,” the FBI tweeted. “Other PFPA officers engaged the subject, who ultimately died at the scene. A civilian bystander, who was also injured during the incident, was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and later released.”

The FBI is still investigating the incident and are still looking into a motive.

Lanz had enlisted in the 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 to the Associated Press. He was arrested in April in a county outside of Atlanta for criminal trespassing and burglary, according to AP. The same day, a separate criminal case was filed against Lanz with six additional charges, including two counts of aggravated battery on police, a count of making a terrorist threat, and a charge for rioting in a penal institution, records show.

The incident is still affecting Pentagon commuters Wednesday: The bus platform where the attack took place and the below-ground Metrorail station will remain closed for investigation all day. Trains are bypassing the station. Pentagon commuters are offloading at Pentagon City. Bus transfers are also happening at Pentagon City instead of the Pentagon bus transfer area.

At about 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the PFPA tweeted that the Pentagon was on lockdown and asked the public to avoid the area, and Arlington Fire and EMS reported multiple people requiring medical assistance at the scene.

Metrorail and Metrobus service at the Pentagon station was suspended for the remainder of Tuesday due to the ongoing investigation. Several other stations, including the transfer station at L’Enfant Plaza, were also closed for much of Tuesday morning and some of the afternoon. Metro referred any questions about station closures and the investigation to the Pentagon police. The Pentagon station is one of the busiest Metrorail and bus transfer stations in Northern Virginia.

Pre-pandemic, more than 15,000 people used the train station per day. On Monday, about 2,400 people used the station.

The Pentagon complex was ultimately locked down for more than an hour.

“Gunfire was exchanged, and there were several casualties,” Chief Woodrow Kusse said during a Tuesday afternoon press conference. “The incident is over. The scene is secure. And most importantly, there’s no continuing threat to our community.”

The chief also would not say whether a suspect or multiple suspects were in custody or killed at the scene Tuesday because he didn’t want to harm the investigation. But there was some confusion for a time, as at least one TV station reported that a suspect might have fled on a Metrorail train. Police wouldn’t confirm that on Tuesday, saying, “We are not actively looking for another suspect at this time.”

https://twitter.com/PenguinSix/status/1422611113515102208

This story was updated with information about the officer who died, the suspect, the timeline of the events, and Metro impacts on Wednesday. The Associated Press contributed to this report.