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Colorado man dies after setting himself on fire in front of Supreme Court building

Supreme Court
Posted at 3:56 PM, Apr 25, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-25 16:56:20-04

A Colorado man has died after he reportedly set himself on fire in front of the Supreme Court on Friday.

CNN and The New York Times reported that 50-year-old Wynn Bruce of Boulder, Colorado, was airlifted to a hospital but later died of his injuries.

In a statement to NBC News, a court spokesperson said the incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. ET and that no one else was injured.

On Friday, Capitol Police confirmed that around 6:40 p.m. ET, a medical helicopter landed "near the Capitol for a medical emergency."

They added that it was not a public safety issue.

This isn't the first time in D.C. someone has sacrificed oneself by setting themselves on fire.

According to the Times, in 2019, Arnav Gupta died after he burned himself in front of the White House. Mohamed Alanssi survived after setting himself on fire outside the White House in 2004. In 1965, Norman R. Morrison died after burning himself outside the Pentagon to protest the Vietnam War.

The incident at the Supreme Court wasn't the only thing that occurred in the DC metro area Friday.

Police responded to a shooting in northwest Washington where at least four people were injured.