The police officer is now the fifth person to die as a result of the violence of the day. One woman was shot and killed by Capitol Police when the crowd broke into the building and three others suffered a fatal medical emergency.
Shortly after 1pm ET Wednesday hundreds of pro-Trump protesters were pushed through obstacles set up on the outskirts of the Capitol, where they clashed with officials in full riot gear, some calling on the “spy” officers for their work.
About 90 minutes later, police said demonstrators entered the building and the doors of the House and Senate were locked. Shortly afterwards, the floor of the House was evacuated by police. Vice President Mike Pence was also removed from the chamber, where he was about to fulfill his role in counting election votes.
An armed standoff was held at the front door of the House around 3pm ET, and police officers’ guns were fired at someone trying to break into it.
Lawyers say they are concerned about a lack of preparation among law enforcement because it was known weeks ago that Trump was inciting a rally he said was aimed at preventing Biden’s win.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.