Man Who Set Himself on Fire in Front of Supreme Court Dies

Man Who Set Himself on Fire in Front of Supreme Court Dies
Visitors walking their dogs across the U.S. Supreme Court Plaza on Capitol Hill on Feb. 22, 2022. (Tom Brenner/Reuters)
Allen Zhong
4/23/2022
Updated:
4/24/2022

The male who set himself on fire in front of the U.S. Supreme Court has died, the Metropolitan Police said on April 23.

Authorities identified the man as 50-year-old Wynn Bruce from Boulder, Colorado, and said he died from the injuries after he set himself on fire.

A police report states that Wynn lit himself on fire in front of the Supreme Court at about 6:30 p.m. on April 22. He was airlifted to a local hospital after the incident.

Supreme Court spokesperson Patricia McCabe told media outlets in a statement that the event took place on the plaza in front of the Supreme Court building.

The Supreme Court Police, U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police had responded to the incident. No one else was injured.

There was no threat to public safety, McCabe told media outlets.

“The area remains closed for further investigation, but this is not a public safety issue,” she said in a statement.

The U.S. Capitol is located across the street from the Supreme Court.

Washington police cruisers parked on K Street in McPherson Square, Washington, on Feb. 5, 2012. (Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images)
Washington police cruisers parked on K Street in McPherson Square, Washington, on Feb. 5, 2012. (Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images)

The incident comes after a shooting in Washington, where at least four people were hit.

Police said the suspect was found dead hours later inside a residence in the area of Connecticut Avenue and Van Ness Street in the Van Ness neighborhood of Washington.

The identity of the suspect wasn’t released.

Police believe the man erected a “sniper-type setup” with a tripod and rifle in his apartment and began firing indiscriminately at people walking below, Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee said. The shooting was recorded and posted online on 4chan, an online message board.

A shelter-in-place order was issued after the shooting and was lifted at roughly 9:30 p.m. after the suspect was found dead.

The four victims of the shooting include a 54-year-old man who’s a retired police officer, a woman in her 30s, a woman in her mid-60s who was grazed by a bullet, and a 12-year-old girl who was shot in the arm.

They’re all expected to recover, police said.

Gabrielle Stephenson and The Associated Press contributed to the report.
Allen Zhong is a long-time writer and reporter for The Epoch Times. He joined the Epoch Media Group in 2012. His main focus is on U.S. politics. Send him your story ideas: [email protected]
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