This is just so sad - absolutely horrible and nearly impossible to believe:
The museum released a statement saying Johns died "heroically in the line of duty."
"There are no words to express our grief and shock over these events. He served on the Museum's security staff for six years. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Johns' family," the statement said. "We have made the decision to close the Museum tomorrow in honor of Officer Johns, and our flags will be flown at half mast in his memory."
Von Brunn is a known Holocaust denier who reportedly has claimed that the book "The Diary of Anne Frank," about a teenage girl's experiences under Nazi rule, was a hoax. The shooting occurred two days before what would have been Anne Frank's 80th birthday.
Emergency vehicles converged on the area, which is near the Washington Monument and other popular tourist attractions. The museum was full at the time, with a "couple of thousand" people inside, said William Parsons, the chief of staff.
"Never take your guard force and security people for granted," Parsons said. "They did exactly what they were supposed to do to protect people in the museum."
The security guard, Stephen Tyrone Johns, was killed when the suspect entered the museum.
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June 10
2009
05:22 PM
This is so horribly sad.