A 43-year-old woman walked into Rep. Danny Davis’ (D-IL) Chicago office on Tuesday afternoon and spoke briefly with staffers before drinking and dousing herself in hand sanitizer and setting herself on fire with a lighter, according to local police.
Davis told the Chicago Tribune that no one in the office knew who the woman was or why she came to the office.
“We really don’t know why; we never got to that point,” he said. “Often times people sign a register or a book with their name and address but she never got to that point.”
He was not present in the office at the time of the incident, according to local media reports.
A statement from Davis’ office said the woman, who has not been publicly identified, entered the West Madison Street office shortly after 3 p.m. local time. Staffers responded with a fire extinguisher after the woman set herself ablaze, but the woman ran out of the office while still on fire.
The congressman said hospital officials called to say the woman was hospitalized and undergoing treatment but in stable condition.
He told the Tribune that the incident highlights the need for mental health resources in the area, saying his office hears from people “almost daily” who are “obviously experiencing mental health challenges.”
