Officer George Gonzalez
The police officer who died from an attack Tuesday outside the Pentagon was identified as George Gonzalez. The man who allegedly killed him was Austin William Lanz, 27, says the FBI’s Washington D.C. office. Lanz stabbed the 37-year-old officer and Army veteran “immediately” and “without provocation” after getting off of a bus, authorities said.
At approximately 10:40 a.m. on Tuesday, August 3, an individual exited a bus at the Pentagon Transit Center in Arlington, VA, and immediately, without provocation, attacked @PFPAOfficial (PFPA) Officer George Gonzalez with a knife, severely wounding him.
— FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) August 4, 2021
“A struggle ensued, in which the subject mortally wounded Officer Gonzalez and then shot himself with the officer’s service weapon,” the FBI wrote. “Other [Pentagon Force Protection Agency] officers engaged the subject, who ultimately died at the scene.”
A civilian bystander was also injured and was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. This person was later released, said officials, who did not identify the individual.
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 Washington Field Office responded to the incident, along with the PFPA, @MetroTransitPD , and the @ArlingtonVaPD.
— FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) August 4, 2021
Lanz most recently lived in Acworth, Georgia, authorities said. The investigation is ongoing. The alleged motive behind the attack remains unclear, but the Associated Press reported at length about his “troubled past.”
The PFPA remembered Gonzalez as a native New Yorker, a “die-hard Yankees fans,” and a graduate of Canarsie High School in Brooklyn. The Army veteran joined the agency on July 22, 2018 after serving in Iraq, they said.
“As a Pentagon Police officer, he took our mission of ‘protecting those who protect our nation’ to heart,” they wrote. “He was promoted twice and attained the rank of Senior Officer in 2020. A gregarious officer, he was well-liked and respected by his fellow officers. As a military and police veteran, Officer Gonzalez had served previously with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Transportation Security Administration, and United States Army. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his service in Iraq. 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.”
[Image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]
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