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Who is Carneysha Mendoza? Capitol Police captain hailed ‘true American hero’ for enduring ‘chemical burns on face’

Capitol Police Captain Carneysha Mendoza was among the first officials to provide her statements to the Senate committee regarding the US Capitol attack

On February 23, 2021, Congress started to take the statements from the US Capitol officials for the first time after the Capitol attack. The hearing is expected to be the first of many examinations of what happened on that day. Capitol Police Captain Carneysha Mendoza was among the first officials to provide her statements to the Senate committee regarding the US Capitol attack and her poignant account of enduring "chemical burns" has touched many hearts.

Mendoza told the Senate committee that after police cleared the building’s rotunda, officers had to physically hold the door to the Capitol closed as rioters continued to try to get into the building. "Officers begged me for relief as they were unsure how long they could physically hold the door closed with the crowd continually banging on the outside of the door, attempting to gain reentry. Eventually, officers were able to secure the door with furniture and other objects," Mendoza continued.

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Who is Captain Carneysha Mendoza?

According to Senator Amy Klobuchar, Mendoza, 41, was born and raised in Missouri. She has been a member of the Capitol Police for almost 19 years. She also has 13 years of leadership experience. As per Klobuchar, Mendoza currently serves as a field commander in the special operations division, where her duties include acting as a field commander for significant security incidents. She has also served in various department divisions, including the command center House division and senator division. Klobuchar further added that Mendoza served as an active-duty soldier in the United States Army before joining the Capitol Police. For her work on recovery efforts during the Pentagon attack on 9/11, Mendoza has also received various accolades.

As per Klobuchar, during the January 6 Capitol attack, Mendoza “rushed to the Capitol when she heard that her fellow officers needed immediate help and assumed command in the Rotunda as they fought to push back the rioters and drive them out of the building.”

Severe Chemical burns

Mendoza also talked about how she suffered chemical burns while she defended the Capitol on January 6. She said that even after seven weeks, her chemical burn wounds have still not healed. 

"I proceeded to the Rotunda where I noticed a heavy smoke-like residue and smelled what I believed to be military-grade CS gas – a familiar smell. It was mixed with fire extinguisher spray deployed by the rioters. The rioters continued to deploy CS inside the rotunda," Mendoza said. She added that the police officers received a lot of gas exposure inside the building as there was no place for the gas to go. She added, "I received chemical burns to my face that still have not healed to this day." 

Here's her full video:

‘A true American hero’

Following Mendoza’s statement about the chemical wounds, several took to Twitter and hailed her as a "hero" while expressing disdain for the previous administration. "Capt. Carneysha Mendoza's first-hand account is terrifying! She has burns to her face that still haven't healed! She's a hero!" one tweet read and another said, "Captain Carneysha Mendoza is a hero. What she and her fellow officers have gone through is horrific."

A third chimed in, "Captain Carneysha Mendoza is a true American hero. Thank you and all Capitol Police for your service, especially on 1-6-21 during the horrifying insurrection riot." And another added, "New hero: Capt Carneysha Mendoza. What an amazingly strong black woman. Know her name."

One tweeted: "Let’s be clear: these officers where attacked by radical right m-wing homegrown terrorists." Another tweeted: "The attack was done by Trump and his MAGA supporters." While another tweeted: "This struck me hard. Capt. Carneysha Mendoza, doing her job has had 'names' hurled at her so many times she’s 'pretty much numb to it now'. Really think about that ... how would you feel if part of your job was the acceptance that you’ll have racial epithets slung at you daily?"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.