A woman was shot dead by police outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday afternoon after an erratic high-speed car chase. The chaos began around 2 p.m., when a woman steered a black Infiniti near the White House, a U.S. Secret Service source reported to CNN. The chase resulted in the death of the driver and the injury of two officers.
Authorities have confirmed that the woman who was driving was 34-year-old Miriam Carey of Stamford, Connecticut. Though the Carey was found unarmed, she did have her 18-month-old daughter in the back seat, who was unharmed. What motivated the driver to ram into a security barrier, strike an officer, and lead a chase is still unknown. Authorities are in the process of meeting with Carey’s family and co-workers to uncover her intentions.
Carey’s mother, Idella Carey, has told ABC News that her daughter suffered from post-partum depression after having a baby last August. “A few months later, she got sick,” Idella Carey added. “She was depressed… She was hospitalized.”
Carey’s boyfriend, the father of the young girl found in the car, had contacted police in December saying he feared for the safety of their child. The boyfriend claimed Carey was acting delusional, saying the president placed Stamford under lockdown and that her house was under electronic surveillance. A source told CNN that Carey left a letter addressed to the boyfriend at the apartment, and it appeared to contain white powder. The letter is being tested for dangerous substances. Authorities investigating the apartment also found medications to treat schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, and depression.
Miriam Carey worked as a dental hygienist in Hamden, Connecticut until August 2012, when she was fired after “complaints from her patients,” says Dr. Barry Weiss, her former boss. Dr. Weiss described Carey as “hot-tempered,” but said “nothing in her behavior would have led us to think this would have happened.”
Capitol Police chief Kim Dine called the incident an “isolated, singular matter” with no connection to terrorism. Authorities continue to investigate the case for the motivation of Carey’s act.