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Man sets himself on fire at Capital

Steve

Well-known member
As he was Taking pictures, a man appeared in the center of his frame, standing near Seventh Street, with his back to Soto. He poured gasoline over his body from a canister, and, before igniting the fuel with a lighter, gave the Capitol a crisp military salute.

Soto’s camera kept clicking as flames engulfed the man’s body and passersby rushed to his aid.

“I just kept shooting,” said Soto, 39, of Little Rock. “I didn’t know what to do in that moment.”

They removed their clothing and used it to try to smother the flames. The man, still conscious when emergency personnel arrived, thanked them for the help, according to accounts from the scene.

One witness, Katy Scheflen, said that she saw a tripod set up near the man but that she did not hear him say anything intelligible before he set himself on fire. It was unclear whether the man was filming the incident.

Their efforts were in vain. A U.S. Park Police helicopter flew the man to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where he died about 9 p.m. Friday, according to D.C. police.

On Saturday, authorities still did not know who the man was or why he immolated himself. Because of the severity of his burns, medical personnel would have to try to identify him using DNA analysis and dental records, Officer Araz Alali said.

Man sets himself on fire at National Mall, one witness says his accomplice filmed the entire ordeal

Scheflen said the presence of a mounted camera gave her the impression "he was aware something was about to happen. Otherwise he was filming nothing but a guy standing there."

"It was obviously an intentional act," she said. "Somebody has a video of the whole thing."

was it a protest, a stunt gone terribly wrong, or another case of a person falling over the edge..
 
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