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- DC Police Chief Robert Contee III said during a press conference On Wednesday evening, three people died earlier in the day due to medical conditions amid the violent takeover by rioters of the US Capitol building.
- One adult female and two adult males have been reported dead on or around the Capitol grounds in separate “medical emergencies”, Contee said.
- Contee also said that 14 officers from the Metropolitan Police Department were injured during the day’s events, including two hospitalizations.
- Law enforcement was overwhelmed by violent protesters who had been incited by Trump at a rally earlier today, prompting questions about their handling of events.
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Three people have died from medical emergencies during violent protests at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department chief Robert Contee III said at a press conference Wednesday night.
“One adult woman and two adult men appear to have suffered from separate medical emergencies” on or around the Capitol grounds, Contee said, “which resulted in their deaths.”
“Any loss of life in the district [of Columbia] is tragic, and our hearts go out to anyone affected by their loss, ”he said.
The dead came in addition to a woman who was fatally shot by a U.S. Capitol Police officer as armed and violent rioters stormed the Capitol building, breaching police lines and assaulting officers .
Contee said at least 14 MPD officers were injured as a result, adding that two had been hospitalized: one who suffered “serious injuries after being dragged into a crowd and assaulted” and another who “suffered serious injuries to the face after being hit by a projectile. “
The MPD also recovered various explosives and weapons throughout the day, including an unexploded homemade bomb left at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, another left at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee, and a long gun and Molotov cocktails. in a vehicle on the Capitol grounds.
But law enforcement has already been criticized for its handling of rioters, who managed to take over the Capitol and force lawmakers to evacuate with relative ease.
In a video posted to TikTok, the police even appeared to open the doors and allow rioters to enter, while a video posted to Twitter appeared to show an agent taking a selfie with one. Law enforcement experts told the Washington Post they were “mystified” by the tactics used by the police after the protesters entered the Capitol.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was unaware of the incident in which police allegedly opened doors for protesters.
The events drew fierce criticism from civil rights activists, who pointed to disparities between the low arrest rates and the less aggressive tactics used Wednesday against violent protesters compared to the high arrest rates and the violence against other peaceful protests in Washington.
The MPD made just 52 arrests on Wednesday, including 26 on the Capitol grounds, according to Contee, although Bowser declared a 6 p.m. ET curfew.
The security concerns also baffled online disinformation experts, who noted that Trump supporters had for months expressed their intention to illegally arm and commit violence during Trump’s Jan.6 rally, according to a BuzzFeed News report.
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