A Colorado man has died after setting himself on fire on the Supreme Court premises. Wynn Bruce, a Buddhist who often posted about climate change on Facebook, suffered critical burns and was declared dead at a local hospital.
Videos circulated on social media have shown Bruce, 50, sitting on the premises of the Supreme Court and burning in flames while another person appeared to be pouring water on him. The incident happened on Friday (Earth Day) around 6:30 PM (local time) and his death was announced a day after by the local hospital.
Why Did Wynn Bruce Set Himself on Fire?
Officials are still trying to find out why Bruce set himself set on fire. But one of the Buddhist priests from Boulder has revealed that he died in a fearless act of compassion, according to the Daily Mail.
Zen priest Sensei Kritee Kanko said in a tweet, "This guy was my friend. He meditated with our sangha. This act is not suicide. This is a deeply fearless act of compassion to bring attention to the climate crisis. We are piecing together info but he had been planning it for at least one year.
A Year Back, Bruce Indicated He Will Set Himself on Fire
On his Facebook profile, the activist shared a link to an online class on climate change on October 30, 2020. On the same post, he made a comment last year in April, "4-1-1 4/22/2022," along with a fire emoji."
The activist potentially indicated that he would set himself on fire on this date over the government's inaction on climate change.
Bruce Was Airlifted Immediately After He Set Himself on Fire
Supreme court's spokeswoman Patricia McCabe revealed that Capital Police and DC Police were quick in responding to the fire incident and due to immediate medical needs a medical helicopter was also allowed to land on Supreme Court's Plaza to airlift Wynn Bruce to the local hospital.
