FIERY DEATH

Cops: Armed Man Crashes Into U.S. Capitol, Opens Fire, Then Kills Himself

The unidentified man’s car burst into flames after he crashed into a barricade surrounding the U.S. Capitol just after 4 a.m. Sunday.

Authorities have identified the man who crashed into the U.S. Capitol Building’s barricade early Sunday morning before opening fire and killing himself as 29-year-old Richard Aaron York. York crashed just after 4 a.m. and his car became engulfed in flames as he was climbing out. He then began indiscriminately firing a handgun before a nearby Capitol Police officer saw him shoot himself in the head, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said at a press briefing. No one was besides the driver was injured. Police said they don’t believe York was targeting members of Congress, who are out on recess, and Manger said that nothing on the man’s social media accounts tied him to the Capitol. Officers also didn’t hear him say anything during the incident. “We don’t have any information that would indicate his motivation at this point,” Manger said. York has addresses in Delaware and Pennsylvania and some criminal history from the past decade, Manger said.

Prior media reports say York was accused of choking and assaulting his pregnant girlfriend a decade ago, and charged with breaking into a pharmacy in 2017 to steal controlled substances. Court records show prior convictions for disorderly conduct, terroristic threats and assault, and possession of controlled substances.