WBALTV 11
The U.S. Capitol Police have named a Morgan State University alumna as acting chief after Wednesday’s riot involving supporters of President Donald Trump.
Assistant Chief Yogananda Pittman, who joined the department in 2001 and rose through the ranks, will serve as acting chief after the resignation of Chief Steven Sund.
Pittman is the assistant chief of police for protective and intelligence operations. In 2012, Pittman was one of the first African American female supervisors to attain the rank of captain, according to the department.
Pittman graduated from Morgan State with a bachelor of science degree in psychology in 1991.
“This appointment is notable for our nation and our university, as she will be the first woman and first African American to hold the post of leading the USCP,” Morgan State University President David Wilson said in a statement.
The appointment comes days after a mob of Trump supporters outnumbered U.S. Capitol Police officers and broke through police barriers, smashed windows and paraded through the halls of Congress. More than a dozen people face federal charges and dozens more were also arrested.
Several people died during Wednesday’s riot, including U.S. Capitol Police Officers Brian Sicknick, who died from injuries sustained during the attack, and Howard Liebengood, who died while off duty.
Ashli Babbitt, 35, was fatally shot by a U.S. Capitol Police officer as officials said she tried to climb into a broken window outside the House speaker’s library. Officials said Babbitt is an Air Force veteran from San Diego who briefly lived in Huntington, Calvert County.
U.S. Capitol Police identified three others who died from medical emergencies as Kevin Greeson, 55, of Athens, Alabama; Rosanne Boyland, 34, of Kennesaw, Georgia; and Benjamin Phillips, 50, of Ringtown, Pennsylvania.
This article originally appeared on WBALTV 11.
