Wednesday (Jan. 6) will officially go down in United States history in a horrible way. Today, thousands of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. to protest President-elect Joe Biden’s general election win as members of congress began the process to certify it.
Once these rioters made it inside, they vandalized a number of government officials’ offices, looted merchandise, and even went on the senate floor to shout things like, “Trump won the election!” Seeing this catastrophe play out on social media and the news, Biden even appeared on video to speak about it. “The scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect true America, do not represent who we are. What we’re seeing is a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness,” he told Americans. “This is not dissent, it’s disorder, it’s chaos, and it must end now.”
Former President Barack Obama added, “History will rightly remember today’s violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election, as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation.”
According to a number of news outlets, a total of four people died during the U.S. Capitol chaos. One was a woman who was later identified as Ashli Babbit, who was a 14-year veteran in the U.S. Air Force and a proud Trump supporter. She was shot by a plain-clothed Capitol police officer after she stormed the building and tried to enter the House chamber, acting Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee claims.
“The shooting is being investigated by MPD’s internal affairs unit, which is responsible for investigating all officer-involved deaths in Washington, D.C., even those involving other agencies,” CBS News reports.
The other three people who died today did so from “medical emergencies,” which have yet to be clarified. Baltimore’s CBS also reported that at least 52 people were arrested at the scene.
Since the event, congress has resumed Biden’s certification process.