Capitol Police chief condemns protest and identifies woman who died

Maintenance workers cleaning outside a mostly quiet Capitol on Thursday morning (Julio Cortez/AP)

The chief of the US Capitol Police says the violent mob that stormed the building wielded metal pipes, chemical irritants and other weapons against law enforcement.

Steven Sund issued a statement saying the rioting protesters “actively attacked” police officers and “were determined to enter into the Capitol Building by causing great damage”.

A Capitol Police officer shot and killed one person, who Mr Sund identified as Ashli Babbitt.

Senator Tim Scott, a Republican, stops to look at damage (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Mr Sund did not identify the officer but said they would be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Mr Sund defended his agency’s response from criticism that officers did not stop the incursion.

He says his agency “had a robust plan” for what he anticipated would be peaceful protests, but what occurred Wednesday was “criminal riotous behaviour”.

He said more than 50 Capitol and Washington police officers were injured and several Capitol Police officers were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

District of Columbia police later identified the three people who had medical emergencies and died during the storming of the Capitol.

They were 55-year-old Kevin Greeson, of Athens, Alabama; Rosanne Boyland, 34, of Kennesaw, Georgia; and 50-year-old Benjamin Phillips, of Ringtown, Pennsylvania.

Police chief Robert Contee would not go into detail about the exact causes of their deaths and would not say if any of the three was actively involved in breaching the Capitol building on Wednesday.

He said that all three “were on the grounds of the Capitol when they experienced their medical emergencies”.

Mr Greeson’s family said he had a heart attack. They described him as a supporter of Mr Trump but denied that he condoned violence.