A man reportedly drove a vehicle into a barrier near the U.S. Capitol Building before firing into the air and fatally shooting himself, according to Capitol Police.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning at approximately 4 a.m. at the street barrier at East Capitol Street and 2nd Street in Washington, D.C.
The man has been identified as 29-year-old Richard A. York III of Delaware, according to an updated press release from the Capitol Police.
“It is still not clear why he chose to drive to the Capitol Complex,” authorities said.
The initial police report described the scene of the vehicle crash and its aftermath.
“While the man was getting out of the car, it became engulfed in flames,” the release said. “The man then fired several shots into the air along East Capitol Street.”
“When our officers heard the sound of gunfire, they immediately responded and were approaching the man when he shot himself,” it added. “Nobody else was hurt.”
The initial report noted that the man did not appear to be targeting any member of Congress, as U.S. lawmakers are currently on recess. Officers reportedly did not fire their weapons.
Investigators are looking into the driver’s background, according to the police report.
“We don’t have any information that would indicate his motivation at this point,” Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger stated at a news conference following the event, according to the Washington Post.
The incident comes as threats reportedly escalated against law enforcement nationwide following the FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
The crash occurred more than a year after another vehicle drove into a Capitol barricade in April 2021. The attacker, Noah Green, killed one officer and injured another before authorities fatally shot him.
Green, a follower of Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam, reportedly exited the crashed car with a knife before being fatally shot.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a free hotline for individuals in crisis or distress or for those looking to help someone else. It is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.
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