A person was shot and wounded Wednesday inside the US Capitol amid chaotic scenes in Washington as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building in anger over his election defeat.
“One shooting victim was transported from the Capitol,” a person attached to an emergency response unit told AFP, adding that there were “other injuries” in the chaotic protests and that the situation remained fluid.
The Washington Post reported that police said the victim was a white female shot in the shoulder, and CNN said she was in critical condition at a local hospital.
Swarming Mob
Hours after an extraordinary rally by Trump challenging his defeat, his flag-waving backers broke down barricades outside the Capitol and swarmed inside, with the special session going into an emergency recess as protesters entered the chambers.
The chaos at the Capitol, which was put under lockdown, came one day after Biden enjoyed a new triumph as his Democratic Party looked set to win two Senate runoff seats, handing full control of Congress.
Police fired tear gas as they struggled to remove a sea of protesters who took aim, at Trump’s urging, at what for more than two centuries had been a quiet, ceremonial session to confirm the election’s winner.
“The President of the United States is inciting a coup. We will not be intimidated. We will not be deterred,” tweeted Democratic Representative Karen Bass.
Representative Val Demings likewise denounced the storming of the Capitol as evidence of “a coup in progress” — in words echoed by half a dozen lawmakers.
Representative Elaine Luria said she had to evacuate because of a report of a pipe bomb and said she believed she heard gunshots.
“I don’t recognize our country today and the members of Congress who have supported this anarchy do not deserve to represent their fellow Americans,” she said. (Channels TV)
