Man Who Killed Himself at U.S. Capitol Identified

Police have identified a man who fatally shot himself at the U.S. Capitol over the weekend, triggering an hourslong lockdown.

The Metropolitan Police Department identified the man Monday as 22-year-old Leo Thornton of Lincolnwood, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.

Thornton died after shooting himself on the west front of the Capitol just after 1 p.m. Saturday. No one else was hurt.

U.S. Capitol Police said Thornton had a backpack and a suitcase, which triggered a lockdown so the bags could be searched. Thornton also was carrying some type of protest sign, police said.

During the lockdown, which lasted more than two hours, no one was allowed to enter or leave the Capitol or the visitors' center.

The suicide came during Washington's annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which attracts thousands of tourists.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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