US Capitol Police said in a brief statement that an unidentified man got out of his vehicle after crashing it around 4 a.m., after which the vehicle “became engulfed in flames.” The man then “fired several shots into the air” and shot himself as officers approached, police said. “They had heard the gunshots and Capitol Police responded. As he got right to the east front of the Capitol property, one of our officers observed him put the gun to his head and shoot himself,” USCP Chief Tom Manger said Sunday. “Our officers then made sure he was not a threat and then approached him. And, in fact, he was dead.” No one else was injured in the incident and the man did not appear to be targeting members of Congress, which is in recess, police said. “[I]It does not appear that the officers fired their weapons,” Capitol Police said in a statement. The man’s background is being investigated, according to authorities. DC police are “handling the death investigation.” A tow truck removes a car that crashed into a Capitol barricade in Washington, August 14, 2022. Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Manger said it was unclear if the incident was the result of a mental health emergency. “You know, a very preliminary check turned up nothing on social media,” he said. “But we haven’t had a chance to notify the next of kin, and part of the investigation is we’re talking to the family and friends of this person to see, maybe, if we can get more information from them.” [10:53:09] The man was not known to Capitol Police prior to this incident, Manger added. “We know the subject has a criminal history for the last ten years or so,” Manger said. “But nothing that, at this point, would connect him to anything here at the Capitol.” The incident comes amid what law enforcement officials have called heightened concerns about political violence — and in the shadow of troubling attacks on Capitol Hill over the past two years. A Capitol police officer was killed in a drive-by attack in April 2021, just months after a deadly riot in which a violent mob ransacked the building and sent lawmakers temporarily into hiding. Several officers died after that mutiny, including some by suicide.
