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Photos show damage to Capitol following 1st mass breach since War of 1812

Photos and videos capture the damage that was done to the Capitol after supporters of President Trump stormed the building.
Image: Joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden as the next U.S. president in the U.S. Capitol in Washington
A broken window is seen during a joint session of Congress after they reconvened to certify the Electoral College votes of the 2020 presidential election in the House chamber in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 7, 2021.Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
/ Source: TODAY

The mob of President Trump supporters that stormed the Capitol on Wednesday to protest the counting of electoral votes that would certify President-elect Joe Biden's win left behind a trail of damage for an entire world to see.

NBC News reporter Frank Thorp was among the many who shared photos of what the building looked like in the wake of the riot.

“A bust of Pres Zachary Taylor in the Capitol appears to still have blood smeared on its face from the rioters today,” he wrote.

“This is the scene at the north door of the Capitol still right now,” he captioned two pictures, including one that featured a banner with the word “treason” on it on the floor. In another, fire extinguishers and other debris clutter the ground.

“The ransacked office of the Senate Parliamentarian,” CNN reporter Ali Zaslav captioned a video of the office of the Senate Parliamentarian turned upside down, with papers all over the floor.

NBC News reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell posted a photo early Thursday morning that showed bullet holes outside of the building itself.

“The Capitol is mostly empty this morning but many remnants of yesterday remain. Four bullet holes in the glass of the doors that lead to the House Capitol steps,” she wrote.

“And this is where the woman was shot,” she wrote. “These are the doors to get into the ‘Speaker’s Lobby’ off the House chamber. Three pains of glass missing. One is shattered. Shards of glass remain on the floor.”

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., also shared images of the scene.

“The U.S. Capitol tonight,” she captioned a pair of photos that documented garbage left behind in a hallway and overturned furniture in an office.

The events of Wednesday left many shocked and had people wondering how security at the Capitol could've let people advance into the building.

After Congress confirmed Biden's win, President Trump committed to an "orderly transition" of power, changing course after weeks of saying he would fight the results of the election.

Image: TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-ELECTION-TRUMP
Damage is seen inside the Capitol on Jan. 7, 2021 in Washington, D.C.Olivier Douliery / AFP - Getty Images
Image: Debris litters the floor after supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump occupied the U.S. Capitol Building, in Washington
Debris remains on the floor after supporters of President Trump occupied the Capitol Building.Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
Image: Flipped furniture and a broken window glass lie on the floor inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington
Flipped furniture and a broken window glass lie on the floor inside the Capitol.Tom Brandt / Reuters

The chaos and violence that ensued left four people dead.

Construction on the Capitol Building began in 1793. Before Wednesday’s riot, the Capitol was only overrun by a mass group one other time, in 1814 during the War of 1812 when British troops set fire to the building.

Image: Aftermath of an emergency medical attention in a hallway after supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump occupied the U.S. Capitol Building, in Washington
The aftermath of the Capitol being taken over.Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
Image: Documents lie on the floor inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington
Documents lie on the floor inside an office in the Capitol.Tom Brandt / Reuters
Image: TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-ELECTION-TRUMP
Multiple water bottles sit scattered on the floor of the Capitol.Olivier Douliery / AFP - Getty Images

However, in 1954, four Puerto Rican nationalists did manage to wound five representatives when they fired shots onto the floor, according to the House of Representatives’ archive.

In 1998, Russell Eugene Weston Jr., shot and killed two police officers after he stormed the Capitol.