- DC Police Chief Robert Contee III said during a press conference late Wednesday night, three people died earlier in the day due to medical conditions amid rioters’ violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol building.
- According to a medical emergency, one adult woman and two adult men died on or around the Capitol site.
- Contee also said 14 officers from the Metropolitan Police Department sustained injuries during the day, including two hospitalizations.
- Law enforcers were overwhelmed by violent protests sparked by Trump earlier in the day during a rally, which raised questions about their handling of the events.
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Three people have died as a result of medical emergencies during violent protests at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee III said during a news conference late Wednesday night.
“It appears that one adult woman and two adult men suffered from separate medical emergencies ‘on or around the Capitol site,’ Contee said, ‘which led to their deaths.’
“Any loss of life in the district [of Columbia] is tragic, and we think of all those affected by their loss, ‘he said.
The deaths come in addition to a woman who was fatally shot by a U.S. police officer in the Capitol when armed and violent rioters stormed the Capitol building, violating police offenses and assaulting officers.
Contee said at least 14 MPD officers sustained injuries as a result, adding that two were admitted to hospital: one who sustained ‘serious’ injuries after being pulled over and assaulted in a crowd’ and another who ‘sustained significant facial injuries after being hit by a projectile. “
MPD also recovered various explosives and weapons during the course of the day, including one unexploded pipe bomb left at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, another left at the Republican National Committee headquarters, and a long rifle and Molotov cocktails from a vehicle on the Capitol site.
But law enforcers have already come under fire for their handling of the rioters, who have managed to seize the Capitol and force lawmakers to evacuate relatively easily.
In a video posted on TikTok, police even opened the gates and allowed rioters, while a video was posted to Twitter appears to show how an officer takes a selfie with one. Law enforcement experts told The Washington Post that they were “disguised” by the tactics used by police once protesters violated the Capitol.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was not aware of the incident where police allegedly opened gates to protesters.
The events drew sharp criticism from civil rights advocates, who pointed out that the differences in low arrest rates and less aggressive tactics were used Wednesday against violent protesters compared to high arrest rates and violence against other peaceful protests in Washington.
According to Contee, MPD made only 52 arrests on Wednesday, 26 of which were carried out at Capitol grounds, despite the fact that Bowser set an evening clock at 18:00.
According to the BuzzFeed News report, the security issues also surprised experts in online misinformation, noting that Trump supporters have been voicing their intentions for months to arm themselves illegally and commit violence for months.