Police arrested a former student Friday on Capitol Hill after he brought a gun into a House of Representatives office building.
Ryan Shucard, a press secretary for Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., came into the Cannon House Office Building carrying a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun and magazine, Politico reported. The gun was not loaded.
U.S. Capitol Police arrested Shucard at 9:15 a.m. and charged him with carrying a pistol without a license, a felony. The weapon was found during a search that all staffers are subject to when they enter the building, which includes stepping through a metal detector and sending their bags through an X-Ray machine.
Marino’s chief of staff, William Tighe, told CQ Roll Call that the congressman’s office had placed Shucard on unpaid leave “until we know more about the situation.”
Shucard studied in the School of Media and Public Affairs in 2009, according to his LinkedIn page.
The Colorado native started his job for Marino in May, and previously worked about 18 months as an assistant to Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. He graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2011, according to his LinkedIn page.
This post was updated to reflect the following corrections:
The Hatchet incorrectly reported that Ryan Shucard was an alumnus. While Shucard took classes at GW, he did not earn a degree from SMPA, University spokeswoman Maralee Csellar said. The Hatchet also reported that before studying at GW, he graduated from the University of Northern Colorado. Shucard attended the University of Northern Colorado from 2006 to 2011, and went to GW in 2009, according to his LinkedIn page. We regret these errors.
