By Becca Clemons
Tribune Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — A man who set himself on fire on the National Mall has died from his injuries, police said Saturday, and his motive remains a mystery.
The man’s identity is still unknown, said Araz Alali, a spokesman for the District of Columbia police. Investigators will use DNA and dental records to try to identify the body.
He had “grave burns encircling most of his body,” Alali said.
Witnesses said the man poured a can of gasoline or other flammable material over himself before he apparently set himself ablaze about 4:30 p.m. Friday on a grassy area outside the National Air and Space Museum.
Joggers and other bystanders on the Mall rushed to his aid.
The man was taken by helicopter to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where he died about 9 p.m. Friday.
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