The man got out of his car, which crashed at East Capitol Street and Second Street after 4 a.m. as it caught fire, US Capitol Police said in a statement. He fired several shots into the air and then shot himself as officers approached him. The officers did not fire back, the statement said. No one else was injured. Authorities said they are investigating the man’s background. “At this time, it does not appear that the man was targeting any members of Congress who are on recess,” the statement said. The Metropolitan Police Department, which is handling the investigation, had not released information about the man’s identity or motive as of Sunday afternoon. The US Supreme Court is also near the barricade the man hit. Incidents of violence targeting public buildings and officials have increased since the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. On Thursday, a man who tried to break into the FBI office in Cincinnati was shot and killed by police after a standoff. He had been on the FBI’s radar for months for possible involvement in the Capitol attack. A search warrant for classified material at the beach home and resort of former President Donald J. Trump in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, prompted right-wing and Republican figures to warn of possible violence to come.
