Four people have been confirmed dead following the Capitol Hill riots, including a female protester who was shot dead by police.
Ashli Babbit, a fervent Trump supporter and air force veteran, was fatally wounded amid the chaotic scenes in Washington DC last night.
She died of a bullet wound during the violent storming of the US Capitol in a bid to interrupt politicians’ formal approval of Joe Biden’s presidential election win.
Two men and a woman also died in the area around the Capitol, but police did not directly link their deaths to the violence.
Washington police chief Robert Contee told reporters: ‘Each of the three appeared to have suffered medical emergencies which resulted in their deaths.’
Mrs Babbit was shot by officers as the mob tried to break through a barricaded door in the Capitol where police were armed on the other side. She was hospitalised and later died.
Her mother-in-law said she owned a business in San Diego with her husband, who had not gone to Washington DC with her.
‘I really don’t know why she decided to do this,’ she told Fox News.
Mr Contee said 52 people were arrested for curfew violations, unlawful entry and weapons charges. Of those, 26 were arrested on the grounds of the Capitol.
A police officer was seriously injured after he was pulled into a crowd and assaulted, he added, while 13 others also suffered injuries.
Two pipe bombs were recovered near the Capitol – one at the Democratic Party offices and the other at Republican Party offices, said police.
A vehicle was also discovered parked on Capitol grounds with a long gun and Molotov cocktails inside.
This is a breaking news story, more follows…
US Capitol riots
A large group of Donald Trump supporters have stormed the US Capitol building to try and stop Joe Biden being certified as the next president.
Here are some of the main updates from the evening of January 6:
- Trump supporters storm US Capitol to try and stop Joe Biden being named next president
- Mike Pence rushed to secure location as he calls for end of rioting
- Woman ‘shot in the neck’ as Trump supporters storm Capitol building
- Donald Trump sends self-pitying video asking ‘very special’ protesters to ‘go home’
- US representatives draw up plans to impeach and oust Donald Trump
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