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TW: Mentions of su*cide
On Friday, April 22, Wynn Alan Bruce, a Colorado-based photojournalist, set himself on fire on the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States. Bruce was a climate activist whose actions were reportedly his way of protesting climate change on Earth Day.
The incident occurred at around 06.30 pm near the court’s plaza. Following the tragic act, Bruce was airlifted to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday. As per The Independent, at the time, Capitol Police, Supreme Court Police, and DC police were present at the site.
Later, Capitol Police informed the public via Twitter about Bruce’s airlift to the hospital. However, they did not mention the incident that took place and tweeted:
“A medical helicopter just landed near the Capitol for a medical emergency. This is not a public safety issue.”
What is known about Wynn Alan Bruce?
As per multiple reports, Wynn Alan Bruce was a photojournalist with his own portrait photography studio in Boulder, Colorado. From his Facebook posts, it is evident that the 50-year-old was an extremely concerned climate activist. According to multiple publications, Bruce also had graduation degrees from Front Range Community College in Westminster, Colorado, and the Community College of Denver.
Furthermore, Bruce also appeared to have practiced Buddhism and shared multiple quotes from the likes of Gautama Budhha and Tibetan Buddhist preacher Chögyam Trungpa. It has been reported that Bruce practiced Shambhala Buddhism and was also associated with a local Buddhist group in Boulder.
Wynn Alan Bruce planned to self-immolate for more than a year
Allegedly, Bruce’s action on Earth Day was not spontaneous, and one of his Facebook posts from 2020 had a comment, which referred to his plan. In the post, the Colorado native shared an educational course from edX titled “Climate Change: The Science and Global Impact.”
Along with the post made in 2020, it seems that Wynn Alan Bruce commented on the post a few months later, insinuating on a plan to set himself on fire. In his comment, Bruce mentioned the date of April 22, 2022, along with a fire emoji.
The course he shared could suggest that the information he gained from it was critical enough to stimulate his planning for self-immolation. In the edX course, the description includes:
“We need to understand the science behind global warming to avoid the most damaging and irreversible climate change impacts on people and planet.”
Meanwhile, Bruce’s associate from a local Buddhist group, Dr. K. Kritee, tweeted about the late activist’s plans. She mentioned:
“This act is not su*cide. This is a deeply fearless act of compassion to bring attention to climate crisis. We are piecing together info, but he had been planning it for at least one year.”
It is possible that being a Buddhist, Wynn Alan Bruce was also inspired by the words of the renowned Vietnamese monk Thích Nhất Hạnh. The famous monk had said:
“To burn oneself by fire is to prove that what one is saying is of the utmost importance.”
The quote could have possibly made a lasting impression on the late 50-year-old photojournalist Wynn Alan Bruce.
