What started as a day for Alabama’s elected representatives in Washington, D.C., to make known their support for or against Joe Biden becoming the next president descended into chaos Wednesday as protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Members of Congress were set to formally count Electoral College results and certify Biden as the next president. Some had said they planned to object to the count, but the process was interrupted by Trump supporters, who tore down metal barricades and made their way into the Capitol building.

The Associated Press reported lawmakers, aides and others were ushered into hiding. Police told those in the House chamber to put on gas masks due to tear gas dispersed in the Capitol Rotunda. Protestors entered the Senate chamber and roamed the halls or visitors’ galleries.

Within hours, a curfew had been implemented in Washington, the National Guard had been called on to support law enforcement and politicians on both sides of the aisle were calling for an end to the protest. Trump tweeted “No violence!” and reminded followers that his is “the Party of Law & Order” but had not specifically called for protestors to disperse as of 5 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who represents Alabama’s District 5, which includes Limestone County, tweeted a statement Wednesday afternoon condemning “the violent mobs who stormed the U.S. Capitol.” Brooks had told Trump supporters at a morning rally that Wednesday would be “the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass,” but he presented a different message in his later statement.

“The violence at the U.S. Capitol today is despicable, un-American and tears at the fabric of our great republic,” Brooks said. “The scenes of United States Capitol Police being violently attacked and mobs occupying the American seat of government are highly disturbing.”

The rally took place near the White House just hours before protestors breached the Capitol. In his latter statement, Brooks said regardless of the protestors’ political views, he hoped “law enforcement and our judicial system prosecute these thugs to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Alabama Republican Party also condemned the protestors’ actions in a statement from party chairman Terry Lathan.

“We support law enforcement efforts to control and arrest any person who is violating laws and causing harm to property or people,” Lathan said. “These actions are not American and cannot be tolerated.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., called it “a very dark day for our country.” AP reported police dispersed the crowds shortly before 6 p.m., though not without additional clashes between law enforcement and protestors.

Some protestors tore railing for the inauguration scaffolding and threw it at officers. Tear gas and percussion grenades were used to break up the crowd, according to AP. Police said at least one person had been shot inside the Capitol, though their condition was not immediately known.

Additionally, at least 13 people were arrested and five firearms had been recovered. Officials declared the U.S. Capitol complex “secure” nearly four hours after the attack began.

Local reaction

At the county level, Ken Hines, chairman of the Limestone County Democrats, said Wednesday’s riot should never have happened and there is “no excuse” for the Republican party’s actions.

“This is the Republican Party that we are watching assault our Congress,” Hines said. “It is the party that elected Trump, that approved his gang of criminal appointees, that embraced his racist rants, that enabled his assault on our institutions, that excused his criminal behavior, and that supported his election lies.”

The News Courier reached out to the Limestone County Republican Executive Committee for a statement regarding Wednesday’s protest but did not receive one before its press deadline.