Tear gas is released in a crowd of protesters during clashes with Capitol police during a rally to challenge the certification of the US presidential election results in 2020 by the US Congress in the US Capitol building in Washington, January 6, 2021.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
Four people died amid the riot in the US Capitol building, Washington, police chief Robert Contee said Wednesday after a horde of supporters of President Donald Trump tried to prevent the confirmation of Joe Biden’s election victory.
The deaths include a woman who was shot, as well as one woman and two men who died from ‘medical emergencies’, Contee said. press conference Wednesday night.
The chief said the Home Office was investigating the shooting. Contee said they are still determining exact details about the three other deaths.
At least fourteen police officers sustained injuries, with even more people in the hospital, Contee said. One officer had serious injuries when he was pulled into a crowd where he was assaulted, he added.
“This is a tragic incident and I express my condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” Contee said.
Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a curfew from 6:00 p.m. Wednesday to 6:00 p.m. Thursday. The mayor also declared an extension of a “public emergency” for the next 15 days, which would go through the inauguration day.