Man dies near Supreme Court

A court spokesperson said a man set himself on fire in front of the US Supreme Court Friday night, stressing that there was no threat to public safety.

The Metropolitan Police Department has identified the man as Wayne Bruce, of Boulder, Colorado. On Saturday, police said he died of his injuries.

Patricia McCabe, a spokeswoman for the Supreme Court, said the Supreme Court Police, the US Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department in the capital responded to the incident at about 6:30 p.m. Friday.

“A medical helicopter landed in the square and the person was airlifted to a local hospital. No one else was injured,” McCabe said in an earlier statement.

The spokesman said no one else was injured.

The area was closed to the public after Supreme Court police, the US Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department responded at the scene.

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

The Capitol was evacuated Wednesday night after the Federal Aviation Administration failed to alert Capitol police about the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights plans to parachute from a plane to nearby Nationals Park for Military Appreciation Night.
Police later said there was no threat to the Capitol.