FOUR people died as Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol and wreaked havoc on January 6.
Members of far-right groups joined the crowds that formed in Washington to cheer on President Donald Trump as he urged them to protest Congress’ counting of Electoral College votes.
Read our US Politics live blog for the latest news as the US Capitol building is put into lockdown
4
Who is Tim Gionet?
Tim “Baked Alaska” Gionet posted video that showed Trump supporters in Make America Great Again and God Bless Trump hats as they milled around and took selfies.
The Trump supporters talked among themselves, laughed, and told the officers and each other: “This is only the beginning.”
Gionet streamed about 20 minutes of material inside the Capitol building and 16,000 people watched, according to Business Insider.
“Let’s call Trump! Let’s call Trump!” he can be heard saying.
Vice President Mike Pence and other pols were being evacuated while Gionet was pulling off his theatrics, the outlet reported.
4
The Southern Poverty Law Center called Gionet a “white nationalist” in 2017.
Gionet was banned from from Uber, GoFundMe, and numerous other platforms, according to the SPLC.
Representatives of Facebook and Twitter said on January 6 that they were working to remove threats and calls for violence from the social media platforms.
But across both platforms, Trump supporters used the hashtag #StormTheCapitol to document the chaos with photos or video and praise the mob.
4
Who died in the Capitol riots?
Two men and two women died in the Washington DC Capitol chaos.
The victims were identified as Kevin Greeson, Benjamin Phillips, Ashli Babbitt, and Roseanne Boyland.
Greeson’s son, Kyler, confirmed in a statement on Facebook that his father, who was from Alabama, had a heart attack.
“We all loved him so much,” Kyler wrote. “He made me the man I am today.”
His son also described him as a “great man” with an interest in car shows and motorcycles.
4
Acting Chief for the Metropolitan Police Department, Robert Contee III, said he believes that Greeson, Phillips, and Boyland died from medical emergencies.
Babbitt also died after she was shot during the mayhem inside the Capitol.
What happened on January 6?
Lawmakers met on January 6 to vote and certify the results of the election.
Protesters broke down fences outside the US Capitol and stormed the building and Capitol buildings were put on lockdown.
Vice President Mike Pence, followed by other Senators, were evacuated from the building and taken to safety.
The Pentagon said about 1,100 District of Columbia National Guard members were being mobilized to help support law enforcement at the Capitol.
After lawmakers were allowed back into the building, a joint session of Congress reconvened and an electoral college count of 306 for Biden and 232 for Trump was certified.
