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Police name the man they say crashed his car and killed himself near the U.S. Capitol

Police at the barricade where a man crashed his car early Sunday morning. Authorities say the man then exited the car and fired a gun several times into the air before turning it on himself.
Daniel Slim
/
AFP via Getty Images
Police at the barricade where a man crashed his car early Sunday morning. Authorities say the man then exited the car and fired a gun several times into the air before turning it on himself.

Updated August 14, 2022 at 10:15 AM ET

Police are investigating an early Sunday morning incident in which a man crashed his car near the U.S. Capitol and fired multiple gunshots before killing himself.

The man did not appear to be targeting any members of Congress, the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement. No one else was injured.

The incident began around 4:00 a.m. as the man drove his car into a barricade about one block east of the Capitol.

As he exited the car, the vehicle "became engulfed in flames," the police statement said. The man then fired several gunshots, apparently into the air.

"When our officers heard the sound of gunfire, they immediately responded and were approaching the man when he shot himself," Capitol Police said. The agency said it did "not appear" that any officers fired their weapons.

Congress is currently on recess until after Labor Day.

Roads near the Capitol were closed as law enforcement investigates.

This is a breaking news story. Some things reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Becky Sullivan has reported and produced for NPR since 2011 with a focus on hard news and breaking stories. She has been on the ground to cover natural disasters, disease outbreaks, elections and protests, delivering stories to both broadcast and digital platforms.