The incident happened shortly after 4 a.m. ET, when the man drove his car into a barricade at East Capitol Street and Second Street. He then exited his car, which became “engulfed in flames,” and fired several shots into the air, Capitol Police said in a statement.
He then fatally shot himself when authorities approached him. There were no additional injuries.
USCP later Sunday identified the individual as a 29-year-old man from Delaware. CNN is not naming the man at this time.
“At this time, it does not appear the man was targeting any Members of Congress, who are on recess, and it does not appear officers fired their weapons,” the USCP statement earlier Sunday read. “Our investigators are looking into the man’s background.”
DC’s Metropolitan Police Department is handling the death investigation, the statement said.
US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said during a news conference Sunday afternoon that the man had a criminal history from “over the past 10 years or so,” but that there was no information to indicate motive and “no political ideology that we’re aware of at this point.”
Capitol Police are looking through security videos of the incident for more information on any possible intentions, the chief said.
Manger said no other weapons were found on scene, and that the only identifiable items remaining in the car in question were aerosol cans, which caught on fire shortly after the driver crashed into the barricade. The DC Fire Department is investigating whether the man started the fire himself, the USCP chief added.
“I think that what we have in place is adequate for now,” he told reporters.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
