Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Police: Man Killed Himself After Ramming US Capitol Barrier
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 years ago on
August 15, 2022

Share

 

A man drove his car into a barricade near the U.S. Capitol early Sunday and then began firing gunshots in the air before fatally shooting himself, according to police, who said he did not seem to be targeting any member of Congress.

The incident happened just before 4 a.m. at a vehicle barricade set at East Capitol Street NE and 2nd Street SE in Washington.

It comes at a time when law enforcement authorities across the country are facing an increasing number of threats and federal officials have warned about the potential of violent attacks on government buildings in the days since the FBI’s search 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 on edge 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 was getting out of the car, the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The man then opened fire, firing several shots into the air as police approached.

Capitol Police said the man shot himself as the officers neared. He was later pronounced dead.

Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said officers did not hear the man say anything before he opened fire “indiscriminately” in 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 cause the blaze.

Police officers at the scene saw the man fatally shoot himself as they approached, Manger said.

The chief said investigators located addresses for the man in Delaware and Pennsylvania and learned he had a criminal history in the past decade, though his motive remained unclear and he had no links to the Capitol.,

“We don’t have any information that would indicate his motivation at this point,” Manger said.

Police said “it does not appear the man was targeting any member of Congress” and that investigators are examining the man’s background as they work to try to discern a motive. Both the House and Senate are in recess and very few staff members work in the Capitol complex at that hour.

Authorities said no other injuries were reported and police do not believe any officers returned fire.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Paul McCartney Becomes Britain’s First Billionaire Musician

DON'T MISS

California Cracked Down After a Crash Killed 13 Farmworkers. Why Are Workers Still Dying on the Road?

DON'T MISS

These Rare Chainsaws Are Worth Big Bucks to Collectors

DON'T MISS

Jewish Lobby Presses California Lawmakers to Combat Antisemitism

DON'T MISS

Opinion: How Urban Renewal Ruined Everything

DON'T MISS

California Wine Squeezed Dry: Insiders Say It’s Time to Pull up Acreage

DON'T MISS

Alabama Mercedes Employees Overwhelmingly Vote Against Joining Union, Slowing UAW Effort in South

DON'T MISS

Stock Market Today: Dow Finishes Above 40,000 to Cap Wall Street’s Latest Winning Week

DON'T MISS

Where Do State Lawmakers Stand on War in Gaza, Campus Protests?

DON'T MISS

High-Speed Rail Now Working to Extend Valley Line to 171 Miles

UP NEXT

Police Still Searching a Suspect in the Fatal Shooting of a University of Arizona Student

UP NEXT

Make Sure It Doesn’t Get Released; Star Witness Michael Cohen Implicates Trump In Hush Money Case

UP NEXT

Billy Graham Statue for U.S. Capitol to Be Unveiled Next Week

UP NEXT

Video Shows Florida Deputy Announced Himself Prior to Fatal Shooting of Black Airman

UP NEXT

Failure to Oust Speaker ‘MAGA Mike’ Johnson Shows Strength and Weakness of His Alliance with Trump

UP NEXT

Police Clear Pro-Palestinian Protest Camp and Arrest 33 at DC Campus as Mayor’s Hearing Is Canceled

UP NEXT

US Service Member Shot and Killed by Florida Police Identified by the Air Force

UP NEXT

Boy Scouts of America Changing Name to More Inclusive Scouting America After Years of Woes

UP NEXT

Biden Signs a $95 Billion War Aid Measure With Assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

UP NEXT

Columbia Cancels In-Person Classes as Demonstrations Sprout on US Campuses to Protest Israel War

Jewish Lobby Presses California Lawmakers to Combat Antisemitism

2 days ago

Opinion: How Urban Renewal Ruined Everything

2 days ago

California Wine Squeezed Dry: Insiders Say It’s Time to Pull up Acreage

2 days ago

Alabama Mercedes Employees Overwhelmingly Vote Against Joining Union, Slowing UAW Effort in South

2 days ago

Stock Market Today: Dow Finishes Above 40,000 to Cap Wall Street’s Latest Winning Week

2 days ago

Where Do State Lawmakers Stand on War in Gaza, Campus Protests?

2 days ago

High-Speed Rail Now Working to Extend Valley Line to 171 Miles

2 days ago

Beautify Fresno Combines Dog Adoption, Litter Removal in Unique Saturday Event

2 days ago

Bulldogs’ Gilmore Named MW Softball Pitcher of the Year

2 days ago

The Latest | Dozens of Israeli Protesters Attack a Truck in an Apparent Effort to Block Gaza Aid

2 days ago

Paul McCartney Becomes Britain’s First Billionaire Musician

LONDON — Paul McCartney is a billionaire Beatle. According to figures released Friday, the former member of the Fab Four is the first Britis...

1 day ago

1 day ago

Paul McCartney Becomes Britain’s First Billionaire Musician

1 day ago

California Cracked Down After a Crash Killed 13 Farmworkers. Why Are Workers Still Dying on the Road?

1 day ago

These Rare Chainsaws Are Worth Big Bucks to Collectors

2 days ago

Jewish Lobby Presses California Lawmakers to Combat Antisemitism

2 days ago

Opinion: How Urban Renewal Ruined Everything

2 days ago

California Wine Squeezed Dry: Insiders Say It’s Time to Pull up Acreage

2 days ago

Alabama Mercedes Employees Overwhelmingly Vote Against Joining Union, Slowing UAW Effort in South

2 days ago

Stock Market Today: Dow Finishes Above 40,000 to Cap Wall Street’s Latest Winning Week

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend