At least four people have died after rioters stormed the United States Capitol in Washington DC on Tuesday [January 6]. One woman is believed to have been shot by Capitol Police, while three others died from medical emergencies. No information has yet been released on the nature of these emergencies.

Supporters of Donald Trump rioted and breached the halls of Congress on Tuesday, sparking national backlash, with many officials calling it a “shameful and unpatriotic” act.

Staff and lawmakers were forced to barricade themselves in offices and take cover under the chairs of the House after both chambers formally convened to count the Electoral College votes of America’s 2020 presidential election.

Donald Trump asked his supporters to return home but in the same breath, he insisted that President-Elect Joe Biden had cheated during the voting process. Many analysts surmised that this statement, which was released via a video on Trump’s Twitter and has since been taken down, added fuel to the fire instead of subduing rioters.

Capitol Police fired a shot at a female rioter, who was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The victim has not yet been identified, and police are waiting for her next of kin to come forward to do so.

“We will not know the cause of death; we believe some type of medical emergency,” the Chief of Washington DC’s Metropolitan Police Department, Robert Contee III, said during a livestream briefing on Tuesday afternoon. “The gunshot wound victim is the one transported from the scene to an area hospital.”

Contee added that 52 people were also arrested, but this was mostly for breaking the 6pm curfew Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has put in place to deter more crowds from gathering at the Capitol. The Metropolitan Police Department’s internal affairs division is investigating the shooting.

 

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Two pipe bombs were confirmed to have been found when police conducted sweeps as soon as they regained access and control of the Capitol. One was found at the headquarters for the Republican National Committee and another at the Democratic National Committee.

A cooler was also found on the Capitol grounds, filled with a “long gun” and Molotov cocktails.

A total of 14 DC police have been injured, with two hospitalised. None of the injuries are serious, however, said Contee.

Picture: Screenshot from video/Twitter

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Lucinda is a hard news writer who occasionally dabbles in lifestyle writing, and recent journalism graduate. She is a proud intersectional feminist, and is passionate about actively creating a world which is free of discrimination and inequality.