List of incidents of political violence in Washington, D.C.

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There have been numerous incidents of political violence in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, as well as in the greater Washington Metropolitan area.

Contents

19th century

An 1816 illustration of the burning of Washington by British forces British Burning Washington.jpg
An 1816 illustration of the burning of Washington by British forces
Lithograph of Preston Brooks' 1856 attack on Sumner; the artist depicts the assailant bludgeoning Sumner. Southern Chivalry.jpg
Lithograph of Preston Brooks' 1856 attack on Sumner; the artist depicts the assailant bludgeoning Sumner.

20th century

Damage done by the bomb at Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer's house Palmer Bombing.jpg
Damage done by the bomb at Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer's house
Ronald Reagan waves just before he is shot. From left are Jerry Parr, Press Secretary James Brady, Reagan, aide Michael Deaver, an unidentified policeman, policeman Thomas Delahanty, and secret service agent Timothy J. McCarthy. President Ronald Reagan moments before he was shot in an assassination attempt 1981.jpg
Ronald Reagan waves just before he is shot. From left are Jerry Parr, Press Secretary James Brady, Reagan, aide Michael Deaver, an unidentified policeman, policeman Thomas Delahanty, and secret service agent Timothy J. McCarthy.

21st century

Police release tear gas outside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 Tear Gas outside United States Capitol 20210106.jpg
Police release tear gas outside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021

Washington metropolitan area

Yosef Alon Joealon.jpg
Yosef Alon
Debris from American Airlines Flight 77 scattered near the Pentagon Flight 77 wreckage at Pentagon.jpg
Debris from American Airlines Flight 77 scattered near the Pentagon

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Secret Service</span> U.S. federal law enforcement agency

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia</span> Local law enforcement agency of Washington, D.C., United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attempted assassination of Harry S. Truman</span> Assassination attempt on U.S. President Truman on 1 November 1950

On November 1, 1950, Puerto Rican pro-independence activists Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola attempted to assassinate President Harry S. Truman at the Blair House during the renovation of the White House. Both men were stopped before gaining entry to the house. Torresola mortally wounded White House Police officer Leslie Coffelt, who killed him in return fire. Secret Service agents wounded Collazo. Truman was upstairs in the house and not harmed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in the United States</span> Systematic or threatened use of violence to create a general climate of fear

In the United States, a common definition of terrorism is the systematic or threatened use of violence in order to create a general climate of fear to intimidate a population or government and thereby effect political, religious, or ideological change. This article serves as a list and a compilation of acts of terrorism, attempts to commit acts of terrorism, and other such items which pertain to terrorist activities which are engaged in by non-state actors or spies who are acting in the interests of state actors or persons who are acting without the approval of foreign governments within the domestic borders of the United States.

On October 3, 2013, in Washington, D.C., Miriam Carey, a dental hygienist from Stamford, Connecticut, was shot and killed by law enforcement officers after attempting to drive through a White House security checkpoint in her black Infiniti G37 coupe. She struck a U.S. Secret Service officer, and was chased by the Secret Service to the United States Capitol where she was shot five times in the back, including one shot which hit the left side of the back of her head. A young child, Carey's daughter, was found unharmed in the car.

On June 14, 2017, a mass shooting occurred during a practice session for the annual Congressional Baseball Game in Alexandria, Virginia. 66-year-old James Hodgkinson shot six people, including U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, U.S. Capitol Police officer Crystal Griner, congressional aide Zack Barth, and lobbyist Matt Mika. A ten-minute shootout took place between Hodgkinson and officers from the Capitol and Alexandria Police before officers shot Hodgkinson, who died from his wounds later that day at the George Washington University Hospital. Scalise and Mika were taken to nearby hospitals where they underwent surgery.

This section of the timeline of United States history includes major events from 2010 to the present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C.</span> 2020 civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd

Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, experienced a series of protests and riots following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Some of the events involved violence, looting, and destruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 United States election protests</span> Nationwide protests in the aftermath of the 2020 United States election

Protests began in multiple cities in the United States following the 2020 United States presidential election between then-President Donald Trump and Democratic Party challenger Vice President Joe Biden, held on November 3, 2020. Biden won the election, receiving 81.3 million votes (51.3%) to Trump's 74.2 million (46.9%) and winning the Electoral College by 306 to 232. Biden's victory became clear on November 7, after the ballots had been tabulated. The Electoral College voted on December 14, in accordance with law, formalizing Biden's victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">January 6 United States Capitol attack</span> 2021 attempt to prevent presidential electoral vote count

On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of then-U.S. president Donald Trump, two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. They sought to keep Trump in power by occupying the Capitol and preventing a joint session of Congress counting the Electoral College votes to formalize the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. The attack was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the certification of the election results. According to the bipartisan House select committee that investigated the incident, the attack was the culmination of a seven-part plan by Trump to overturn the election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Ashli Babbitt</span> 2021 shooting in the U.S. Capitol Building

On January 6, 2021, Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot during an attack on the United States Capitol. She was part of a crowd of supporters of then U.S. president Donald Trump who breached the United States Capitol building seeking to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack</span>

The January 6 United States Capitol attack was followed by political, legal, and social repercussions. The second impeachment of Donald Trump, who was charged for incitement of insurrection for his conduct, occurred on January 13. At the same time, Cabinet officials were pressured to invoke the 25th Amendment for removing Trump from office. Trump was subsequently acquitted in the Senate trial, which was held in February after Trump had already left office. The result was a 57–43 vote in favor of conviction, with every Democrat and seven Republicans voting to convict, but two-thirds of the Senate are required to convict. Many in the Trump administration resigned. Several large companies announced they were halting all political donations, and others have suspended funding the lawmakers who had objected to certifying Electoral College results. A bill was introduced to form an independent commission, similar to the 9/11 Commission, to investigate the events surrounding the attack; it passed the House but was blocked by Republicans in the Senate. The House then approved a House "select committee" to investigate the attack. In June, the Senate released the results of its own investigation of the attack. The event led to strong criticism of law enforcement agencies. Leading figures within the United States Capitol Police resigned. A large-scale criminal investigation was undertaken, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) opening more than 1,200 case files. Federal law enforcement undertook a nationwide manhunt for the perpetrators, with arrests and indictments following within days. Over 890 people had been found guilty of federal crimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 United States inauguration week protests</span> Protests against the presidency of Joe Biden

Supporters of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, held small-scale armed protests and demonstrations at U.S. state capitols in the five days leading up to the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20, 2021, in opposition to the results of the 2020 United States presidential election, which continued after the failure of the violent January 6 attempt to overturn the election in Trump's favor. Pro-Trump groups failed to stage organized dissent or affect the transition of power in an environment of deterrence and heightened security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of violent incidents at the United States Capitol</span>

The United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., became the meeting place of the United States Congress when the building was initially completed in 1800. Since that time, there have been many violent and dangerous incidents, including shootings, fistfights, bombings, poisonings and a major riot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Law enforcement response to the January 6 United States Capitol attack</span>

Law enforcement mounted a response to the January 6 United States Capitol attack, initially failing to maintain security perimeters and protect parts of the building from being breached and occupied, but succeeding at protecting members of Congress, and subsequently, as reinforcements arrived, to secure the breached Capitol.

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