Police have released the identity of a man who who drove his car into barricades nears the Capitol, setting the vehicle on fire as he stepped, fired a number of rounds into the air and then killed himself with a shot to the head, WJLA ABC-7 in Washington, DC reports.
Authorities do not know yet why Richard York III, a 29-year-old man from Delaware drove into the barriers at 4 a.m. local time. The location of the crash– East Capitol Street and Second Street–is just a couple hundred feet from the Supreme Court building and about two blocks from the Capitol.
Police determined that York apparently did not intend to harm any member of Congress; Congress is on recess and there are few Representatives or Senators in the area, let alone at that time of night.
Capitol Police and DC Metropolitan Police were responded to the report of a car crash. As Capitol Police officers arrived on seen, they saw York exit the vehicle, which then burst into flames; police believe York set the car on fire because the wreck did not do sufficient damage to spark a fire. York then fired his handgun randomly into the air, and before the officers could respond, he turned the gun on himself.
The National Suicide Prevention Helpline in the US is available 24 hours a day at 988 on a mobile device. Call them if you need to talk to someone.