A woman was shot and killed during a standoff in the US Capitol between law enforcement officials and supporters of President Donald Trump, who broke through the building and forced imprisonment with members of Congress inside.
The protesters, some of whom were wearing body armor, walked up the stairs around 2:15 PM ET and pushed through barricades, agents in riot gear, and other security measures taken in anticipation of the protest.
A woman was shot in the Capitol and rushed to hospital, police said. The unidentified woman died later in the evening, sources tell ABC News.
It is unclear what led to the shooting and whether law enforcement was involved. Pictures showed officers with guns drawn.
As of 6:15 PM, the Capitol was still occupied, but officials say they are working to clear it.
After repeated calls from leaders on both sides of the aisle to summon his supporters, the president released a video message on Twitter at 4:17 PM telling his supporters to go home. In the same video, he continued to make baseless, false claims about the election.
“I know you’re in pain, I know you’re hurt. We had an election stolen from us,” he said, echoing a false claim in the 1-minute pre-recorded video. “But you have to go home now.”
Twitter tagged the video with a warning, “This election fraud claim is disputed and this Tweet cannot be replied to, retweeted, or liked due to the risk of violence.”
The tweet came just as Trump’s successor, Vice President Joe Biden, was holding a press conference to address the situation. He called on Trump to tell his supporters to stop.
“This is not dissent, it is disorder. It is chaos. It borders on sedition. And it must end now. I call upon this crowd to withdraw and advance the work of democracy.
The entire DC National Guard has been activated to assist, and several other law enforcement groups, including the Federal Protective Service, the Secret Service, the Virginia National Guard and Arlington, Virginia Police, are responding to assist the Capitol Police .
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said around 3:40 PM that the National Guard was on its way. House speaker Nancy Pelosi asked the National Guard for help to secure the Capitol, a source said.
The clashes began when Trump and his allies held a rally earlier in the day to urge the Senate not to certify the election for President-elect Joe Biden. Once inside the Capitol, protesters moved freely and chanted chants as they waved “Trump 2020” flags.
“Due to the violent behavior towards the police officers there and their intention to gain access to the Capitol, a riot was declared,” DC Metro Police Chief Robert Conte told reporters at a news conference.
According to reports, there was at least one protester on the podium of the Senate Chamber and some went from door to door demanding, “Where are they?” They also hit the doors, according to reports.
One of the protesters was photographed with a congress pulpit.
At around 4:15 p.m., the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Capitol Police investigated a suspicious object near the Republican National Committee headquarters on First Street. At around 5:52 PM, the FBI said in a statement that “two suspected explosives have been brought to safety by the FBI and our law enforcement partners. The investigation is underway.”
Later in the evening, police fired tear gas to try to disperse the supporters
As Trump supporters stormed the building, law enforcement officers inside ordered elected officials, staff and journalists to take shelter in their places. In a bulletin sent to Capitol personnel later in the afternoon, Capitol police ordered people to lock their doors, remain silent, and silence their electronics.
“If you are in a public place, find a place to hide or to take cover,” the bulletin said.
US Representative Jim Himes, D-Conn., Tweeted, “Police asked us to get gas masks because tear gas was used in the roundabout.” US Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore, tweeted that the electoral college ballots were rescued from the floor.
“Had our skilled floor crew not grabbed them, they would have been burned by the crowd,” he tweeted.
Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia told reporters that the Senate plans to certify the election tonight.
Manchin told reporters he believes they can continue the debate in the Capitol. He said being with other senators was a “way of bringing us together.”
“We’re going to be done tonight,” Manchin said. “These thugs don’t run us away.”
House Speaker Pelosi sent a letter to members that they would continue with their agenda once the Capitol was approved.
“Members and personnel must remain on the Capitol complex until notified by the United States Capitol Police,” she wrote. “I look forward to seeing you later tonight, at this time of great sorrow.”
At around 3:20 p.m., the Senate Chamber was reportedly secured and agents were pushing protesters down from the second and third floors of the roundabout, police said.
At the rally earlier in the day, Trump said he would not budge and called on supporters to march to the Capitol. He promised the crowd that he would be with him, but did not keep his promise and went back to the White House.
“We will not allow them to silence your voice. We will not let it happen,” Trump said to a cheering crowd.
When the breakthrough started, Trump tweeted that Vice President Mike Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country and our constitution” and “the US demands the truth!”
Trump tweeted at 2:39 PM, “Please support our Capitol Police and law enforcement. They really are on the side of our country. Keep calm!”
At 3:13 pm, he tweeted, “I ask everyone in the Capitol to stay peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Law & Order Party – respect the law and our wonderful men and women in Blue. Thank you!”
At 3:35 PM, also Pence, who was escorted out of the building argued on Twitter for the Trump supporters to quit.
“The violence and destruction taking place at the Capitol must stop and it must stop now. Everyone involved must respect law enforcement and leave the building immediately,” he tweeted.
US Senator Mitt Romney told reporters who were in a safe position with him, “This is what caused the president today, this uprising.” Romney was accosted at an airport by a Trump supporter on Tuesday.
Democratic leader of the US Senate Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a joint statement around 3:50 pm calling on Trump to “demand that all protesters leave the Capitol and Capitol Grounds immediately.”
Former members of Trump’s inner circle also condemned the president for not doing enough to stop his supporters. Former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney tweeted that the president’s tweets weren’t enough.
He can stop this now and must do just that. Tell these people to go home, ‘ he tweeted.
Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a curfew that started at 6:00 p.m. and ended at 6:00 a.m. Thursday
“During curfew hours, no one, except persons designated by the mayor, may walk, cycle, run, hang out, stand or ride a motorcycle by car or any other means of transport in a street, alley, park, or other public. place within the district, ”said the mayor’s office.
In a press conference later in the afternoon, Bowser called the protests “shameful, unpatriotic” and “illegal.”
“The Metropolitan Police Department has been deployed to assist the Capitol Police in restoring order to the Capitol. And our Chief of Police will order the evacuation of the Capitol and create a perimeter around the Capitol,” she said.
The Northam government also declared a curfew in Alexandria and Arlington that started at 6 p.m.
Allie Pecorin, Trish Turner Allison Pecorin, Jack Date, Ben Siegel and Luke Barr of ABC News contributed to this report
This is a story in progress. Please check again for updates.