As chaos followed at the US Capitol building after pro-Trump demonstrators staged a violent protest and breached the House and Senate chambers, a woman was reported to be in a critical condition after being shot in the chest on the Capitol grounds, according to two sources familiar with the matter, reported CNN.
Further details regarding the circumstances of the shooting are awaited.
A crowd of Trump supporters estimated to be in the thousands travelled to Washington on Wednesday to pressure lawmakers and Vice President Pence to overturn the results of the election. Pence noted earlier in the day that he does not have the power to object to electors, reported The Hill.
Protesters were seen pushing against metal fences, and police using the fences to push protesters back, while other officers reached over the top to club people trying to cross their lines.
In some instances, law enforcement officers were seen deploying pepper spray, while the use of flash bangs and tear gas was also witnessed, reported CNN.
Fox News reported citing a congressional source that the Cannon House Office Building and Madison Library of Congress Building were briefly evacuated because of a bomb threat after several suspicious packages were reportedly found in the area.
The US Capitol complex has been placed on lockdown. An announcement played that said in the US Capitol said to "move away from windows and doors" and "no one can leave or enter", although people were allowed to move about inside the building.
Buildings being evacuated included the Library of Congress's Madison Building across from the Capitol as well as the Cannon House office building. In an alert sent to Hill staffers, police ordered occupants of the Madison building to "move in a safe manner to the exists" and "close doors behind you but do not lock", reported The Hill.
Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden is expected to address the nation shortly on the tense situation in Washington.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a citywide curfew till 6 am ET, Thursday, in wake of the violent protests.
"Today, I'm ordering a citywide curfew for the District of Columbia from 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 6, until 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 7," she announced on Twitter.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor