Susie Towater and her husband Charles were intent on reaching the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum for a 1:15 p.m. tour. They rushed out of the National Museum of American History, late.
But as the Tampa couple hurried toward the second museum, they heard six pops in succession. Mrs. Towater thought a car had backfired. Her husband thought he heard gunshots.
Then they saw an old man on the ground.
"He was just lying there," she said. "We thought he had been a victim because he was older and dressed in a tie."
If the two had been on time for their tour, Mrs. Towater said late Wednesday, they could have been walking through metal detectors as an 88-year-old man opened fire on a Metropolitan Police officer.
"It's scary," she said. "We could have been in there and then nobody would be talking to us anymore."
The 59-year-old retired pharmaceutical sales representative was in town for a volunteer convention. Her husband came to join her and enjoy the sights.
But they saw more than they expected.
They stood across the street and watched as security guards rushed around.
"Within three minutes, the D.C. police had the area blocked off," Mrs. Towater said. "They came very quickly."
She stood outside the barricade for hours, as details trickled out about the suspect's intentions. The more she heard, the angrier she got.
"The Holocaust Museum is a place for reverence," she said. "That man had hate in his heart for a long time. I don't understand how somebody could hate for so long."
Although the shooting ruined her plans for the day, Mrs. Towater said she feels no less safe in Washington.
"Call me naive but even though this happened and there's an orange alert, I've seen police everywhere since I've been here and I don't feel any less safe," she explained. "This could have happened anywhere."
News researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Staff writer Robbyn Mitchell can be reached at (813) 226-3373 or rmitchell@sptimes.com.
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