Last week was a bizarre one in D.C. Aside from the government shutdown,U.S. Capitol police shot and killed 34-year-old Miriam Carey after breaching a White House security checkpoint and leading police on a high-speed chase. The following day, a man set himself on fire on the National Mall and later succumbed to his injuries. That man has been identified as 64-year-old John Constantino of Mount Laurel, N.J.
On Friday, Constantino reportedly doused his body in gasoline and gave a military salute before setting himself ablaze with a lighter. According to the Washington Post, two good samaritans used their shirts to extinguish the flames, and he was still conscious when emergency responders arrived. He died at a hospital Friday night.
The Post says that Constantino's family issued a statement following his death, saying that it was "the result of a long battle with mental illness." They went on to thank the paramedics and witnesses who tried to save him.
[via Washington Post]
