Woman reportedly shot at Capitol, protesters hold 'armed standoff' with police at House chamber door


People trying to overtake the Capitol building forced senators and House members into hiding on Wednesday.
Both the House and Senate's debates over opposition to electoral votes for President-elect Joe Biden were halted Wednesday when Trump supporters, some of them seemingly armed, broke into the Capitol. The protesters broke glass doors and pushed past security guards, eventually making it into the congressional chambers and offices.
After filling the halls waving Trump and Confederate flags, some members of the mob broke the glass on the doors to the House chamber. Reporters said there was an "armed standoff" at the doors between police and insurgents. Some protesters eventually made it to the Senate floor; some seemingly did so by jumping down from the viewing gallery above. One protester took the presiding officer's chair, yelling "Trump won that election."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy later confirmed to PBS News that shots were fired inside the Capitol and that someone had been injured. Paramedics were seen taking someone out of the building on a stretcher. CNN reported a woman had been shot at the Capitol and was in critical condition.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants