Woman Sets Herself on Fire at U.S. Representative’s Office in Chicago

CHICAGO, IL - A woman who walked into the Chicago office of U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis set herself on fire in an apparent suicide attempt Tuesday afternoon.

Reports indicate the woman came into the West Side office at 2746 W. Madison St. around 3 p.m. when Davis was away at a meeting and began picking up items from staff members’ desks. When she was told to stop, she began to drink a bottle of hand sanitizer, poured it on herself and set herself on fire, according to the Chicago Sun-Times and other reports. A staff member quickly put out the flames and called police.

“To me, it’s an obvious case of mental illness,” said Davis, the United States House of Representatives member for Illinois’ 7th Congressional District. “It’s a reaffirmation of the tremendous need for additional mental health services in our community.”

Davis said his office deals with people who come in with mental illness or drug addictions on a daily basis, but no one had tried to set themselves afire before Tuesday.

The woman remains in serious condition at Stroger Hospital.

More via the Chicago Sun-Times

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