WASHINGTON — A precautionary lockdown of the U.S. Capitol was lifted after about two hours Saturday after a suicide by a man carrying a protest sign.
The man died after shooting himself on the west front of the Capitol building just after 1 p.m., said Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider. No one else was hurt.
Capitol Police Chief Kim Dine said the man had a backpack and a rolling suitcase, triggering an hours-long lockdown, and a sign that said something about “social justice.”
No one was allowed to leave or enter the Capitol or the visitors’ center during the lockdown on a busy day for tourists. Some streets around the area were closed.
The lockdown came during Washington’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which attracts thousands of tourists during Washington’s busy season.
Congress has been on spring recess for two weeks and lawmakers are set to return to work Monday.
