Connecticut (WTIC Radio) - Governor Ned Lamont is calling on President Donald Trump to call on his supporters to stand down after protesters breached the doors of the U.S. Capitol and forced a lockdown as lawmakers worked to affirm President-Elect Joe Biden's victory.
Supporters of Trump stormed the U.S. capitol building Wednesday in protest of the transfer of power, putting a stop to the electoral vote to certify Biden's presidential victory.
According to the Associated Press, protesters clashed with police as they shouted and waved about American and Trump flags. Protesters tore down metal barricades and tried to push past officers with shields, the AP reports.
Lawmakers within the House Chamber were told to put on gas masks as tear gas was fired in the building, the AP reports, as authorities continued to put up defenses against the protestors.
One woman was reportedly shot at the U.S. Capitol, according to the AP, though the circumstances of the shooting are unclear. Over an hour later, the AP reported that the woman died.
In Connecticut, Governor Ned Lamont delivered his State of the State Address on tape Wednesday afternoon, but he later responded to the chaotic protests on Twitter.
Meanwhile in D.C. Wednesday afternoon, Representative John Larson reacted to the events which he called "unprecedented."
WTIC's Dave Mager spoke to Larson. Listen to what he had to say below.
Mager also spoke with Congressman Joe Courtney who was in the building as the protests transpired.
"I never thought I would see tear gas, weapons drawn and obviously some conflict happening literally on the door step of the chamber of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate being occupied by people," Courtney said.
Listen to his full response as he spoke to Mager while in his Capitol office below.
WTIC's Morgan Cunningham spoke with Senator Richard Blumenthal who said he and his staff were safe in a secure location.
"It's not a protest. It's an armed insurrection," Blumenthal said. Listen to what he witnessed and what he thinks will come next in terms of the electoral vote and of the nation's recovery after these events.
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro confirmed she and her staff were safe around 6 p.m. Wednesday in a statement.
In the statement, DeLauro said, "Make no mistake, this was a coup attempt instigated by President Trump." The work to heal the nation will begin in two weeks when President-Elect Biden takes office, DeLauro said.
Connecticut's Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff released a joint statement on the matter, saying the chaos and violence is a result of Trump's comments on the election results.
"To the American people who are going about their lives as treason and sedition are happening at the U.S. Capitol," the statement said, "stop what you're doing and pay attention. Be disgusted, appalled and angry. We can never let this happen again."
Attorney General William Tong called for Trump's resignation.
Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz offered prayers in a tweet for the safety and well-being of all those in Washington D.C. including lawmakers, staff and police.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker released a statement regarding the lockdown in which he said he was watching the TV with "a combination of outrage, sadness and disbelief."
"I am outraged that in his last days in Office, the President of the United States incited an insurrection in what would be an otherwise ceremonial process," Elicker said in his statement.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin also took to twitter to call out the protesters who were waving the American flag while storming the building.
Mayor Erin Stewart of New Britain said in a tweet of her own, "Like all of you, I am sad and I am ashamed. What I have been watching unfold, is simply un-American."
Trump asked for peace at the Capitol on twitter.
Like many on social media, Elicker said in his statement, "Today is a dark day in American history."
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