A suspect opened fire on the Cuban Embassy in Washington D.C. early Thursday, and police are still unsure of their motive after taking the person into custody.
The incident took place at approximately 2 a.m. EST when the suspect parked outside the embassy and began opening fire with a rifle. Police promptly responded and took the suspect into custody.
The suspect was not yet identified, but was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and ammunition, assault with intent to kill, and possession of a high-capacity magazine, a U.S. Secret Service spokesperson told the Associated Press.
Photos of the embassy from the morning show damage to the building’s exterior caused by the gunfire.
Damage from gunfire at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2020. (Cuban Embassy in the US/Released)
At least nine different locations on the building’s wall and pillar were struck by bullets, and a light fixture shattered.
Damage from gunfire at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2020. (Cuban Embassy in the US/Released)
Videos from the scene show a police presence immediately after the incident, and officers investigating the suspect’s car.
Secret Service and DC police focusing on this car outside the Cuban Embassy. pic.twitter.com/DQZ8pNERkk
— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) April 30, 2020
Police told WJLA that the suspect was a man driving an SUV with Texas license plates and had an American flag on top of his vehicle.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez tweeted, “Cuba’s embassy in US was the target of armed attack by unidentified individual. Mission staff was not injured and is safe. Investigation is in progress. It is the responsibility of States to protect diplomats accredited to them and their facilities.”
#Cuba‘s embassy in US was the target of armed attack by unidentified individual.
Mission staff was not injured and is safe. Investigation is in progress.
It is the responsibility of States to protect diplomats accredited to them and their facilities.
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) April 30, 2020
The embassy reopened in Washington in July 2015 after being closed for 54 years.
