The man who critically injured himself after pour gasoline over his body and set himself on fire on the Washington Mall on Friday, has died of his injuries. The man's name and age were not immediately known, and his burns were so severe that officials will need to use DNA and dental records to identify him, said D.C. police spokesman Araz Alali. The man was airlifted to MedStar Washington Hospital Medical Center, where he died about 9 p.m. Friday, according to TheWashington Post on Oct. 5.
Authorities are still not sure what the man's motive was. Eyewitnesses say the scene was surreal, like something you'd see in the movies. The man apparently went up in flames very quickly.
Click here to read more about the man who set himself on fire, as well as events from the day before when a woman rammed the White House gates before being shot and killed by police.
A pair of nearby joggers rushed over, stripped off their shirts, and tried to extinguish the flames. There appeared to be a red gas can, a yellow tarp and a pile of crumpled newspapers near the scene of the incident, in the center of the Washington Mall.
D.C. police spokeswoman Saray Leon said the man was “conscious and breathing” when firefighters first responded to the scene. Police taped off a large area surrounding the event.
In a testament to how weird a week it's been in the Nation's Capital, tourists were seen taking pictures standing in front of the police tape, with the capitol looming in the distance.
