WASHINGTON, April 11 (UPI) -- Authorities locked down the United States Capitol and Visitor Center for a couple hours Saturday afternoon after a man carrying a backpack and a handwritten sign shot himself to death there, investigators said.
According to Capitol Police, the man wore a backpack and had a sign referring to "social justice" taped to his hand. However, the exact language of the sign was not revealed. Authorities also found a suspicious suitcase nearby, ABC News reported, but it was unclear whether it belonged to the gunman.
Police said the man shot himself in the head near the Capitol's West Front, near First Street, at about 1 p.m. EDT -- prompting police to lock down the Capitol itself and the nearby Visitor Center. During the lockdown, staff members were told to shelter in place, Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said.
Fox News reported that the man shot himself on the Capitol's western steps, which face the Mall and the Washington Monument.
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The suspicious suitcase was checked by bomb technicians and cleared. It wasn't initially revealed what it contained.
Authorities on the scene -- including federal agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Secret Service -- did not immediately identify the gunman, but they did say there is no indication of terrorism.
The lockdown was lifted around 3:45 p.m. local time, police said. Other than the gunman's self-inflicted wound, officials said no shots were fired by the gunman or authorities.
In addition to the FBI, Secret Service and U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., police department and D.C. Fire Department also responded to the shooting Saturday.
No legislators were present at the Capitol Saturday, as Congress is on a two-week break. They are set to return Monday. However, many visitors were in the area surrounding the U.S. Capitol during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival -- which attracts tourists to Capitol Hill and the downtown Mall.
"I know it's not a joking matter ... We're just stuck here watching hundreds of other people checking their phones," Jim White, a visitor from Philadelphia, said.
"I was hoping to get a closer look at the Capitol," visitor Jay Bernard said. "That's not going to happen."
