A man drove into a barricade near the US Capitol in Washington DC on early Sunday morning, fired several shots into the air after his vehicle ignited, and shot himself to death, according to police.
Officials were quick to note they had not determined a motive for the man’s actions, though they did say there was no indication he was targeting any Congress members, who were in recess at the time.
The man – whose identity has not been released – crashed his car into the barricades at East Capitol and Second streets, a press statement from the Capitol police announced.
As he exited his car, the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The man proceeded to fire a gun multiple times in the air, prompting police officers to approach him.
The man shot himself as officers approached, according to Capitol police. No one else was hurt.
“At this time, it does not appear the man was targeting any members of Congress, who are on recess, and it does not appear officers fired their weapons,” the police said.
Investigators on Sunday were looking into the man’s background and didn’t immediately disclose any preliminary findings.
The Guardian reached out to the DC medical examiner’s office asking for the name of the driver in Sunday’s case but was unable to get an immediate response.
More details soon…
English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish