Sandy MaloneArlington, VA – Pentagon Force Protection Agency Officer George Gonzalez was ambushed and stabbed to death on the Metro bus platform at the Pentagon Transit Center on Tuesday.
Officer Gonzalez was on patrol just after 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 4 by the bus platform when he was ambushed by a man with a knife, the Associated Press reported.
Law enforcement sources told the Associated Press that 27-year-old Austin William Lanz ran at Officer Gonzalez and stabbed him in the neck.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that after he mortally wounded the officer, Lanz took Officer Gonzalez’s weapon and eventually used it to shoot himself.
The @FBIWFO says Austin Lanz exited a bus at the Pentagon Transit Center & without provocation attacked Pentagon Police Officer George Gonzalez with a knife mortally wounding him. Lanz got a hold of Gonzalez’s weapon & shot himself. @7NewsDC #7NewsITeam pic.twitter.com/QVMcBjpoA7
— Scott Taylor 7 News I-Team (@ScottTaylorTV) August 4, 2021
Officer Gonzalez was transported to George Washington University Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.
Scene outside the GW Hospital moments ago: A procession of MPD officers moves down 23rd Street for the police officer wounded at the Pentagon shooting earlier today pic.twitter.com/ERA1TjkZZH
— Jarrod Wardwell (@jarrodjw9) August 3, 2021
End of Watch Aug. 3, 2021.
Last night, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency observed End of Watch for Pentagon Police Officer George Gonzalez who was tragically killed yesterday during the incident at the Pentagon bus platform. 1/5 pic.twitter.com/lmTqIuqCir— Pentagon Force Protection Agency (Official) (@PFPAOfficial) August 4, 2021
#JUST NOW by Independence & 4th NW – the police procession passes by with officers saluting a fallen law enforcement member as the ME van passes by. I’m told this is for the Pentagon officer who died after this morning’s shooting. @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/eXrVBXnnmy
— Stephanie Ramirez (@RamirezReports) August 3, 2021
Investigators have not yet determined Lanz’s motive for the attack, the Associated Press reported.
Witness Dave Statter told WRC that he heard at least a dozen gunshots during the chaos.
Statter said he saw CPR being performed on two people afterwards.
Officer Gonzalez, 37, was a three-year veteran of the Pentagon police force, Politico reported.
He had been promoted twice and attained the rank of senior officer in 2020 before he was killed in the line of duty.
Officer Gonzalez was a veteran of the U.S. Army and had been awarded the Army Commendation Medal and the Combat Action Badge for his service in Iraq, the Military Times reported.
The Secretary of Defense ordered flags at the Pentagon complex lowered to half-staff to honor the murdered hero, Politico reported.
“I extend my deepest sympathies to the family, loved ones and colleagues of the Pentagon Force Protection Officer who died as a result of injuries he received this morning,” U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Tuesday night.
“This fallen officer died in the line of duty, helping protect the tens of thousands of people who work in — and who visit — the Pentagon on a daily basis,” Austin said. “This tragic death today is a stark reminder of the dangers they face and the sacrifices they make. We are forever grateful for that service and the courage with which it is rendered.”
Officer Gonzalez, a Brooklyn native, was remembered as a friendly guy and a rabid Yankees fan, the Military Times reported.
Prior to joining the Pentagon police force, he worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
#GenMilley“On behalf of the entire Joint Force, I extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and Pentagon Force Protection Agency colleagues of the officer who was killed today in the line of duty protecting the thousands who work at and visit the Pentagon each day.1/2
— The Joint Staff 🇺🇸 (@thejointstaff) August 3, 2021
The men and women of the #FBI Washington Field Office extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of Pentagon Police Officer George Gonzalez, who lost his life yesterday serving the American people. pic.twitter.com/3EYmXCjIK6
— FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) August 4, 2021
Our sincere condolences go out to the family, friends, and co-workers of Police Officer George Gonzalez from @PFPAOfficial. Officer Gonzalez was fatally stabbed yesterday during an unprovoked attack at the Pentagon's Transit Center in Arlington, Virginia. #FidelisAdMortem pic.twitter.com/bzn7OMr1ug
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) August 4, 2021
The Maryland Natural Resources Police extends our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Pentagon Police Officer George Gonzalez. Please keep the entire Pentagon Force Protection Agency in your prayers as they deal with this senseless tragedy. pic.twitter.com/JGT44hdX6c
— Maryland NRP (@MDNRPolice) August 4, 2021
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Pentagon Force Protection Agency Officer George Gonzalez, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Officer George Gonzalez, your life mattered.
Holly Matkin
