Man who killed himself at US Capitol identified


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WASHINGTON (AP) — 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 on 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 say Thornton had a backpack and a suitcase, which triggered a lockdown so the bags could be searched. Police say Thornton also was carrying some type of protest sign.

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.

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