After crashing his car into a security barrier at the US Capitol, a man took his own life

On the early morning of Sunday, August 14, 2022, a man drove his vehicle into a barricade that was located near the United States Capitol. After that, the man began firing gunshots into the air before ultimately shooting himself to death, according to the police.

Ayman Haykal/istockphoto

From the report of Becky Sullivan on npr.org, according to the police, a man drove his vehicle into a barricade that was located near the United States Capitol early on Sunday morning, and then he began firing gunshots into the air before fatally shooting himself. The police stated that it did not appear that the man was targeting any specific member of Congress.

This happened around 4:00 AM on East Capitol Street NE between 2nd Street SE in Washington, DC, where a car roadblock had been erected up.

In the days following the FBI's investigation of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, law enforcement agencies throughout the country have been receiving an increased number of threats, and federal officials have warned about the potential for violent assaults on government buildings.

The assault is eerily similar to an incident that took place in April 2021, when a man drove a vehicle into two Capitol Police officers who were standing at a checkpoint. The incident resulted in the death of an officer who had served for 18 years. After supporters of the then-president stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, many people on Capitol Hill are still on edge about the incident.

According to the authorities, the man, who has been identified as Richard A. York III, 29, from Delaware, crashed into the barricade, and as he was exiting the vehicle, it became engulfed in flames. The incident occurred in Delaware. The man then started shooting, sending many rounds into the air as the cops were getting closer. According to the Capitol Police, the suspect shot himself as the officers approached. It was determined that he had passed away afterwards.

Tom Manger, the Chief of Police at the Capitol, stated that officers did not hear the man say anything before he began fire in the street "indiscriminately" with a handgun and moved toward the Capitol building. Because it does not appear that the collision was the source of the fire, the chief has stated that the authorities are looking into the possibility that the guy intentionally set fire to his vehicle. According to Manger, police officers who responded to the area witnessed the man shoot himself in the head as they approached the location.

The chief said that investigators located addresses for the man in Delaware and Pennsylvania and learned that he had a criminal history in the past decade. His motive remained unclear, and he had no links to the Capitol, the chief said, but they did learn that he had a criminal history in the past decade. According to Manager, "At this point, we do not have any information that would indicate his motivation."

The police have stated that "it does not appear that the man was targeting any member of Congress," and that they are currently looking into the man's background in an effort to determine a reason for the attack. At that time, neither the House nor the Senate is in session, and there are only a handful of staff workers actively working in the Capitol complex. According to the authorities, no more injuries have been reported, and the police do not believe that any cops have fired back.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.