Man shoots himself near U.S. Capitol

Police said a man drove his car into a barricade near the U.S. Capitol, then began shooting into the air from the burning car before shooting himself.

The incident occurred just before 4 a.m. at a vehicular barricade on Capitol and Second Streets in East Washington.

This comes amid growing threats to law enforcement authorities across the country, with federal officials warning of the potential for violent attacks on government buildings since the FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Florida estate.

The attack is reminiscent of the April 2021 death of an 18-year veteran when a man drove his vehicle into two Capitol Police officers at a checkpoint.

Many on Capitol Hill remain on edge after supporters of the then-president stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The man, Richard A. York III, 29, of Delaware, crashed into a barricade and was engulfed in flames as he got out, authorities said.

The man then opened fire, firing several shots into the air as police approached.

Capitol Police said the man shot himself as officers approached. He was later pronounced dead.

Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said officers did not hear what the man said before he fired “indiscriminately” in the street with a pistol before walking towards the Capitol.

Authorities are investigating whether the man may have set his car on fire, as the collision did not appear to have caused the fire, the chief said.

Investigators located the man’s addresses in Delaware and Pennsylvania and learned that he had a criminal record over the past decade, but his motives remained unclear and he had no ties to the Capitol, Mr. Manger said.

“We don’t have any information on his current motives,” he added.

“The man did not appear to have targeted any members of Congress,” police said, and investigators were looking into the man’s background to try to find out his motive.

Both the House and Senate were in recess, and few staff were working in the Capitol at the time.

Authorities said there were no reports of other injuries, and police do not believe any officers returned fire.