- DC police chief Robert Contee III said during a Press conference On Wednesday night, three people died earlier in the day due to medical conditions amid the violent takeover of the United States Capitol by protesters.
- An adult woman and two adult men were reported to have died on the outskirts of the Capitol in separate “medical emergencies”, Contee said.
- Contee also said that 14 Metropolitan Police officers were injured during the day’s events, including two hospitalizations.
- Police officers were oppressed by violent protesters who were prompted by Trump at a rally earlier in the day, raising questions about how they handled events.
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Three people died as a result of medical emergencies during violent protests at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, said Metropolitan Police Department chief Robert Contee III during a news conference late on Wednesday.
“An adult woman and two adult men appear to have suffered from separate medical emergencies” on or around the Capitol, said Contee, “which resulted in their deaths.”
“Any loss of life in the district [of Columbia] it is tragic, and our thoughts are with anyone impacted by their loss, “he said.
The deaths came in addition to a woman who was fatally shot by a US Capitol Police officer when armed and violent protesters stormed the Capitol building, breaking police lines and assaulting officers.
Contee said at least 14 MPD officers were injured as a result, adding that two were hospitalized: one who suffered “serious injuries after being pulled into a crowd and attacked” and one who “received significant facial injuries after being hit by a projectile. . “
The MPD also recovered several explosives and weapons throughout the day, including an unexploded bomb left at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, another left at the Republican National Committee headquarters, and a long gun and Molotov cocktails from a vehicle on Capitol Hill.
But the police have already been criticized for dealing with the protesters, who managed to take over the Capitol and force lawmakers to evacuate relatively easily.
In a video posted on TikTok, the police even showed up to open the gates and allow protesters to enter, while a video posted on the Twitter appeared to show a policeman taking a selfie with one of them. Law enforcement experts told The Washington Post that they were “puzzled” by the tactics used by the police after protesters invaded the Capitol.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was unaware of the incident where police allegedly opened the gates for protesters.
The events drew strong criticism from civil rights defenders, who pointed to the disparities in low prison rates and less aggressive tactics used against violent protesters on Wednesday, compared to the high prison rates and violence deployed against other peaceful protests in Washington .
The MPD made just 52 arrests on Wednesday, 26 of which were made on Capitol grounds, according to Contee, although Bowser decreed a 6 pm ET curfew.
Security issues have baffled online disinformation experts, who noted that Trump supporters had for months expressed their intentions to illegally arm themselves and commit violence at the Trump rally on January 6, according to a report by BuzzFeed News.