WASHINGTON (AP) – A man drove his car into a barricade near the U.S. Capitol early Sunday and then began shooting into the air before fatally shooting himself, according to police, who said it did not appear he was targeting any members of the Congress.
The incident happened just before 4 a.m. at a vehicle roadblock located at East Capitol Street NE and 2nd Street SE in Washington.
It comes at a time when law enforcement agencies across the country are facing a growing number of threats, and federal officials have warned of the possibility of violent attacks on government buildings in the days following the FBI’s investigation of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago.  estate in Florida.
The attack is reminiscent of an incident when a man drove a vehicle into two Capitol Police officers at a checkpoint in April 2021, killing an 18-year veteran of the force.  And many on Capitol Hill remain at a standstill after supporters of the then-president stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Authorities said the man, identified as Richard A. York III, 29, of Delaware, crashed into the barricade and that as he got out of the car, the vehicle burst into flames.  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 Munger said officers did not hear the man say anything before he opened fire “indiscriminately” on the street with a handgun and walked toward the Capitol building.  Authorities are investigating whether the man may have set his car on fire, the chief said, because the collision did not appear to have caused the fire.
Officers at the scene saw the man fatally shoot himself as they approached, Manger said.
The chief said investigators found addresses for the man in Delaware and Pennsylvania and learned he had a criminal history over the past decade, though his motives remained unclear and he had no ties to the Capitol.
“We don’t have any information indicating his motivation at this point,” Manger said.
Police said “it does not appear the man was targeting any members of Congress” and that investigators are reviewing the man’s background as they try to discern a motive.  Both the House and Senate are in recess and very few staff members are working in the Capitol complex at that time.
Authorities said no other injuries were reported and police do not believe any officers returned fire.