An individual set his vehicle on fire before crashing it into a barricade near the US Capitol and opening fire indiscriminately and shooting himself dead, police have confirmed.
The incident, which occurred at 04:00 in the morning, American time, has not produced more victims, according to the statement from the Capitol Police, which has verified initial information from the American public network PBS.
The vehicle ended up stamped against a barricade at Second and East Capitol streets. “As the man got out of the car, the vehicle was engulfed in flames,” according to the police statement. He then fired “several shots along the street” and ended up taking his own life on the east side in front of the US Legislative headquarters.
According to the police version, the man shot himself as the officers approached him. The agents, the note adds, “do not appear to have used their weapons” at any time.
US security forces have launched an investigation into the background of the individual, who has not yet been identified..
The incident comes more than a year after another vehicle crashed into a Capitol barricade in 2021, killing a police officer and injuring a colleague..