From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Man dies after crashing car, firing gun near US Capitol, police say
WASHINGTON — A man died near the US Capitol building after driving his car into a barricade and firing shots into the air before turning his gun on himself, police say.
A statement from the US Capitol Police did not identify the man or speculate on a motive.
The Congress is currently in recess, and police say “it does not appear the man was targeting any members of Congress.”
The Supreme Court, still behind security fencing after its bitterly divisive ruling on abortion, is also nearby on Capitol Hill.
The incident occurs amid heightened tensions and violence-filled chatter on social media following the surprise seizure of several boxes of classified government documents from former president Donald Trump’s Florida resort estate.
The police statement says the man drove his car into a vehicle barricade at East Capitol Street and Second Street shortly after 4:00 am local.
“While the man was getting out of the car, it became engulfed in flames,” the statement says.
“The man then fired several shots into the air.”
When officers responded to the sound of gunfire and approached the man, “he shot himself,” police say.
No one else is hurt.
The DC Metropolitan Police Department is leading an investigation into the man and his background.
The Times of Israel Community.