A man drove his car into a barricade near the U.S. Capitol building early Sunday morning and then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
The man exited his car, which crashed at East Capitol Street and Second Street after 4 a.m. as it burst into flames, U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement. He fired several shots in the air and then killed himself as officers approached him.
Officers did not return fire, the statement said. No one else was injured. Authorities said they were investigating the man’s background.
“At this time, it does not appear that the man was targeting members of Congress, who are on vacation,” the statement said.
The Metropolitan Police Department, which is handling the investigation, had not released information on the man’s identification or motive as of Sunday afternoon. The United States Supreme Court is also near the barricade the man hit.
Instances of violence directed at public buildings and officials have increased since the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
On Thursday, a man who tried to enter the Cincinnati office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was shot and killed by law enforcement officers after a standoff. He had been on the FBI’s radar for months for possible involvement in the attack on the Capitol.
A search warrant for classified documents at former President Donald J. Trump’s Florida home and resort, Mar-a-Lago, has prompted right-wing and Republican figures to warn of possible violence to come.