Killing of Miriam Carey

On May 20, 2015 a vigil was held in Union Square, Manhattan as part of the Say Her Name campaign to recognize the lives and deaths of black women killed or injured by police. Miriam Carey's family attended the vigil and her name was highlighted as one of the women to be recognized. Carey's name and story has also been featured in the Say Her Name publication "Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women". Carey has been mentioned by critics of the Black Lives Matter movement as an example of the perceived lack of intersectionality within the movement, citing the lack of coverage and continued discussion of her death.

Both U.S. Capitol Police and Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police revealed that they believed that the incident was isolated and not part of a terrorist plot. Miriam Carey's sisters have questioned police actions in this chase. In February 2014, Carey's family officially announced a wrongful death claim against the US Capitol Police and the Secret Service. The Secret Service has been criticized by various organizations for its handling of the incident, questioning the use of lethal force for a traffic mixup, citing at least 22 instances in which intruders have successfully breached the White House itself without resulting in a fatality. Carey's U-Turn at the White House check point and her subsequent path away from the building was captured on video by Al Hurra TV videographer Danny Farkas which was used during the news cycle following her death, as well as evidence in the US Attorney’s Office investigation. Footage from this video has been used to justify claims that Secret Service used excessive force on Carey. The Secret Service has since refused to release the video of Carey's death.

An autopsy by the DC medical examiner was released in April 2014 and indicated that Carey was shot five times in the back, including one shot which hit the left side of the back of her head. The autopsy listed the manner of death as homicide. On July 10, 2014, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced that no charges would be filed against the federal officers and agents, stating, "After a thorough review of all the evidence, the U.S. Attorney's Office concluded that the evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers who were involved in the shooting used excessive force or possessed the requisite criminal intent at the time of the events."

On October 3, 2013, in Washington, D.C., Miriam Carey, a dental hygienist from Stamford, Connecticut, was shot and killed by law enforcement officers after attempting to drive through a White House security checkpoint in her black Infiniti G37 coupe. She struck a U.S. Secret Service officer, and was chased by the Secret Service to the United States Capitol where she was shot five times in the back, including one shot which hit the left side of the back of her head. A young child, Carey's daughter, was found unharmed in the car.

On the day of the incident, Carey was supposed to be taking her daughter to a doctor's appointment in Connecticut. The FBI found two medications in her apartment, as well as a laptop, a flash drive and three nonfunctional cell phones. Federal officials said she may have suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Federal officials said no weapons were found in the car. Carey's boyfriend reported concerns about her mental health and delusions to the Stamford, Connecticut Police Department. On December 10, 2012 Stamford police investigated the complaint and noted that Carey believed herself to be the "Prophet of Stamford" and insisted that Barack Obama had her house under electronic surveillance. These police records were released after several media outlets made a Freedom of Information Act (United States) request.

At about 2:12 p.m., an Infiniti G37 driven by Carey allegedly struck one of the White House barriers at the intersection of 15th St. NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. At 2:13 p.m. she drove into a restricted White House checkpoint at 15th and E Streets NW, without authorization and without stopping. When an off-duty U.S. Secret Service officer placed himself and a metal bike rack in her path to block her exit, she struck the bike rack and the off-duty Secret Service officer who was standing behind it with her car, knocking both the bike rack and the officer onto the ground. Secret Service attempted to arrest the suspect but she continued to drive the car evasively, colliding with one officer who fell on the hood of the car and rolled off. Carey then drove 40–80 mph down Pennsylvania Avenue, weaving through traffic and ignoring red lights. Police gave chase east on Pennsylvania Avenue for a dozen blocks. The chase then proceeded south on 1st St. NW/SW between Peace Circle and Garfield traffic circle.

Miriam Iris Carey (August 12, 1979 – October 3, 2013), of Stamford, Connecticut, was a dental hygienist licensed to practice in New York and Connecticut. She was born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. She obtained an associate degree in dental hygiene from Hostos Community College and graduated from Brooklyn College in 2007 with a degree in health nutrition science.

A shelter in place order was issued for the Capitol building during the incident. A Capitol Police officer was injured when his car hit a barricade during the chase near 1st and Constitution Avenue, and was medevaced by a U.S. Park Police helicopter, call sign "Eagle One" (N22PP), to MedStar Washington Hospital Center with non life-threatening injuries. A U.S. Secret Service officer was struck by Carey's car on the White House grounds.