Washington – A man driving a car crashed into a barrier near the US Capitol early Sunday morning and opened fire before fatally shooting himself, police said.
The man crashed into the barrier on the east side of the Capitol shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday morning, and his car caught fire as he drove away, US Capitol Police said in a statement. The man fired several shots into the air and turned the gun on himself as officers responded. No one else was injured.
“At this time, it does not appear that the man targeted any members of Congress, who are on recess, and it does not appear that officers fired their weapons,” Capitol Police said. The statement did not name the man, but noted that “investigators are looking into the man’s background.”
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Security in and around the Capitol has been heightened in the year and a half since the attack on January 6, 2021. Capitol police erected tall fences and barriers around the complex that remained in place for weeks afterward .
There have also been other security incidents near the complex since January 6. In April 2021, a man he crashed his car at the officers who were near a security barricade, killing one and injuring another. The man, Noah Green, 25, was shot and killed by police.
In October 2021, a man named Dale Paul Melvin was arrested after parking his vehicle in front of the Supreme Court in front of the Capitol and refusing to leave. Melvin returned in February 2022 but left without being arrested.
Nicole Sganga and Jake Rosen contributed to this report.
