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

US Capitol Police Officers work near a police barricade on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on August 14, 2022. - A man died early Sunday near the US Capitol building after driving his car into a barricade and firing shots into the air before turning his gun on himself, police said. (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
US Capitol Police Officers work near a police barricade on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on August 14, 2022. - A man died early Sunday near the US Capitol building after driving his car into a barricade and firing shots into the air before turning his gun on himself, police said. (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Updated August 14, 2022 at 3:43 PM 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.

Authorities identified the man as Richard A. York III, a 29-year-old from Delaware.

The reasons why he chose to drive to the Capitol were unclear, though he 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 York 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. York 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.

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.


If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Jonese Franklin