Shots fired at Holocaust Museum, guard dies

WASHINGTON – An elderly gunman opened fire with a rifle inside the crowded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, gravely wounding a security guard before two other officers returned fire.

Officials say the guard who was shot at the museum has died.

A law enforcement official says James Von Brunn, an elderly white supremacist, is being investigated as a potential suspect in the shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Museum.

Another law enforcement official said Von Brunn’s vehicle was found near the museum and was tested for explosives.

The assailant was in critical condition, said Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty.

D.C. Police Chief Kathy Lanier said the gunman appeared to have acted alone. He was “engaged by security guards immediately after entering the door” with a rifle, she said.