A man is dead after suffering critical burns from lighting himself on fire in front of the Supreme Court building on Friday evening.
Wynn Bruce, 50, of Boulder, Colorado, ‘went on to the plaza in front of the Supreme Court building and set (himself) on fire,’ around 6:30 pm, according to the Daily Beast.
Bruce suffered critical burns and was pronounced dead at a local hospital today.
Surveillance footage of the immediate aftermath show police officers as they attempt to calm Bruce, who can be heard screaming in the background.
A motive for the Bruce’s self-immolation has yet to be revealed as of Saturday, as police said they look to contact witnesses who may have more information about the incident.
A LinkedIn profile for a Wynn Bruce of Boulder, Colorado states he was a photojournalist who had previously attended Front Range Community College and the Community College of Denver.
Supreme Court police, Capitol Police and DC police all responded to the incident.
‘A medical helicopter landed on the plaza and the individual was airlifted to a local hospital.
No one else was injured,’ court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said in a statement.
Authorities had to temporarily close two roads as the helicopter EMS crew tended to the medical emergency. #Update: Just in – Video reportedly from near the Supreme Court, of the person being airlifted after he set himself on fire on the steps outside of the Supreme Court building in Washington #DC. #US pic.twitter.com/eQO8IowmqA
Although she confirmed the 252-foot oval plaza had been closed to allow for investigation, she did say the incident was ‘not a public safety issue.’
The plaza itself is up a small flight of steps from the sidewalk outside the court building.
Back in May 2019, disturbing footage emerged of another man setting himself on fire and calmly walking around near the White House as police desperately tried to douse the flames.
The man set himself on fire on the Ellipse park in downtown Washington DC.
Video of the incident showed the man walking calmly across the Ellipse near the Washington Mall, an area popular with tourists, with flames covering his body.
Several seconds later, US Secret Service staff could be seen towards him with a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze.
It occurred less than a mile from the White House.
Just a few days prior to Friday’s incident, Capitol Police evacuated courthouses and Congressional buildings in the area after an unidentified aircraft was spotted within seconds of the US Capitol on Wednesday.
It was eventually determined that the single engine airplane was on a flight by the Golden Knights Parachute Team for Military Appreciation night at Nationals Park.
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