A woman killed by a gunshot wound in Trump supporters' assault on the United States Congress

At least one woman has been killed by a gunshot wound in the assault by supporters of US President Donald Trump on Congress on Wednesday, sources from the emergency services confirmed to several US media. 

According to sources consulted by CNN, a woman was in critical condition after being shot in the chest at the beginning of the protesters forcibly entering the Capitol in Washington. MSNBC footage showed a woman being carried on a stretcher with heavy bleeding after shouts of "shots have been fired."

It is unclear who was responsible for the shots that wounded the woman. Supporters of President Donald Trump stormed into the evacuated U.S. House of Representatives and clashed with Capitol Hill security officials, who drew their weapons.

The demonstrators broke windows and opened doors by force until they overcame the Capitol Police, who secured the facilities of the Legislative. 

The security forces threw tear gas on the building's steps, but dozens of people managed to enter the plenary rooms of the House of Representatives and the Senate while the legislators were being evacuated on an emergency basis, as well as Vice President Mike Pence.

Pence was to preside over the session in the U.S. Congress this Wednesday that was to certify the victory of President-elect Joe Biden, which Trump has accused of being based on fraudulent voting without providing evidence and despite the fact that even the Republicans in charge of the scrutiny have said it is a falsehood.
 

At the time of the assault, Trump tweeted, "I call on everyone on the Capitol to remain peacefully non-violent! We are the party of law and order. Respect the law and our men and women (police) in Azul.

After about an hour of chaos, hundreds of protesters who had gathered around the Capitol's old marble building slowly began to leave the area of origin of the tensions. However, the entire District of Columbia will be under curfew and several units of National Guard reservists and federal security forces have been activated to ensure safety.

Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday blamed his vice president, Mike Pence, for the chaos in Washington for not assuming powers not granted by the Constitution to reverse his electoral defeat, while his supporters stormed the Capitol.

Trump, who was in the Oval Office while his supporters stormed the Capitol and entered the House floor, did not ask his supporters to leave Congress and instead fed the tensions that caused the assault.

"Mike Pence did not have the courage to do what he should have done to protect our country and our Constitution ... America demands the truth," Trump wrote in a first tweet as his supporters stormed into the Capitol.

In a second tweet, ten minutes later, he added, "Please support our Capitol Police and security forces. They are truly on the side of our country. Be peaceful!".

However, Trump did not go so far as to ask his supporters to stop, and shortly after that, they burst into the House of Representatives and shots were heard, while tear gas was detected under the Capitol dome.

According to press reports, at least one person was shot in the assault of the pro-Trump demonstrators on the Capitol. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives were evacuated, and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a curfew starting at 6 p.m. (23:00 GMT).

The assault on Congress came as both chambers were in session to confirm the election victory of Democrat Joe Biden in last November's presidential election.

The president's supporters, who had come to Washington en masse called by Trump, who harangued them at a rally in front of the White House, then headed to the Capitol and broke in.

Pence, who was presiding over the session in Congress, had sent a letter to the congressmen on Wednesday, in which he clarified that he cannot revoke the results of the elections. "It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution prevents me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not," Pence wrote to the congressmen.