6th January 2020

Senate evacuated, National Guard activated, person shot after pro-Trump protesters storm Capitol

By nbcnews

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Capitol descended into chaos and violence Wednesday as hundreds of pro-Trump protesters swarmed the building and at least one person was shot, forcing the Senate to evacuate and Vice President Mike Pence to be ushered to a secure location.

The frenzied scene after demonstrators broke through barricades forced Congress to evacuate parts of the building and abruptly pause a ceremonial event affirming that President-elect Joe Biden won the November election. In one dramatic moment, police officers drew guns as protesters tried to break into the House chamber.

Pence, who was presiding over the joint session of Congress, could be seen rushing out of the Senate chamber amid the sounds of throngs of protesters who surrounded the Capitol. Pence and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the president pro-tem, were taken to a secure location, a senator told NBC News.

Several law enforcement officials said one person was shot inside the Capitol by a member of law enforcement. The person was reported in critical condition, but no other details were immediately available.

The doors of the Senate were closed and locked, and senators were told to stay away from the doors. The doors to the House were barricaded, and some lawmakers were seen praying. District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered a 12-hour curfew on the city that will begin at 6 p.m. ET.

Twitter and other social media channels were flooded with images of protesters skirmishing with police officers, and there were multiple reports of rioting inside the Capitol as some protesters broke windows, battered down doors and postured in the Senate chamber.

Improvised explosive devices were been found on the U.S. Capitol grounds, several law enforcement officials said. Officers were in the process of destroying the devices, and it was not clear whether they were functional. At least one was made of a small section of galvanized pipe.

Trump has directed the National Guard to head to the Capitol, the president said in a tweet, and the U.S. Capitol Police have requested additional support. The FBI has been deployed to the scene, an FBI official said.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, confirming on Fox News that shots had been fired inside the Capitol, called the mayhem "un-American" and said: “We can disagree but we should not take it to this level. ... You do not do what is happening right now. People are being hurt. This is unacceptable.”

Biden called on Trump to go on national television to "fulfill his oath and defend the constitution and demand an end to this siege."

"It's not protest. It's insurrection," he said.

"The words of a president matter, no matter how good or bad it is, Biden said."

The top Democrats in Congress echoed Biden's message to Trump: “We are calling on President Trump to demand that all protestors leave the U.S. Capitol and Capitol Grounds immediately," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, said in a joint statement.

Attorney General Bill Barr, who was near Trump last summer as National Guard members sprayed tear gas to disperse peaceful protesters so the president could hold a Bible for a photo op, condemned Wednesday's the violence.

He said in a statement: "The violence at the Capitol Building is outrageous and despicable. Federal agencies should move immediately to disperse it."

The chaotic situation came after Trump, who has refused to accept the results of the election, spoke to a large crowd in front of the White House. He angrily vowed to never concede to Biden and baselessly asserted that the election results were fraudulent.

"We will never give up, we will never concede. You don't concede when there's theft involved," Trump said to a crowd of supporters, some of whom chanted "USA!" or waved anti-Biden banners. He later falsely claimed that Biden would be an "illegitimate" president.

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