The police lieutenant who killed Ashley Babbitt the Capitol mob on January 6 was finally identified

For more than seven months, the U.S. Capitol police On January 6, an unarmed protester, Ashli ​​Babbitt, crawled out of a broken window in the corridor of the U.S. Capitol and shot and killed the police officer, who remained anonymous.

Although the U.S. Congressional police, congressional staff, and federal investigators all know his name, no one will disclose it. This secrecy has triggered months of online speculation.

Babbitt’s family claimed to have covered up.

“America Congress Want to protect this man. He has friends at the top and they want to protect him,” said Terry Roberts, a Maryland lawyer who represents the family. “They did a good job. …I don’t think this is a proud moment for the U.S. Capitol Police or the U.S. Congress. “

Roberts told Zenger on Wednesday night that the gunman was “Lieutenant Michael Leroy Bird.”

Byrd’s lawyer Mark Schamel did not dispute the positive identification. In recent months, other sources have told Zenger that Bird was the shooter on January 6, which added information from other sources. None of them would say so on the record.

Byrd is a controversial figure. He has a record of mishandling guns, including leaving a loaded pistol in the bathroom of the Congress Visitor Center at a time. Roberts said Bird’s decision to fire on January 6 indicated that he was not fit for the mission.

“If I were a member of Congress, I would be very worried about him holding a gun next to me,” he said.

Usually, police officers who fired at civilians are named publicly.But the riots on January 6 and the riots that erupted thereafter George Freud Being killed by a policeman in Minneapolis divided the country by politics, class and race-which made officials cautious about revealing the name of a black policeman who killed a white protester.

Roberts said race “is clearly a factor in the decision to protect Bird from public scrutiny.”

“This is something that must be considered, because this is just a clear model for the United States,” he said. “A white policeman killed a black man? Their names came out within a day. They are all public. Look, the police are public officials. There shouldn’t be any exceptions.”

US Congress police officials, police union representatives, and government officials have repeatedly claimed that disclosing the identity of the police officer would put him and his wife at risk and expose them to racial discrimination. According to a neighbor of Lieutenant Bird, Lieutenant Bird’s family roots are in Jamaica.

Babbitt’s lawyer said that after months of not publicly appointing Byrd, he was skeptical when he learned that the officer would appear in court with Lester Holt on Wednesday. National Broadcasting Corporation The news is broadcast the next day-NBC has already recorded the interview.

“They pointed out that his [Byrd’s] Roberts said: “If he came forward, his life would be in danger. We now know that this can’t be true because he came forward by himself. So, you know, he used this as an excuse.”

Roberts, a lawyer for the Babbitt family, is planning to file a negligent death lawsuit that will list Bird and the U.S. Capitol Police as defendants. Because federal law requires a notice period of several months before taking such actions against government agencies, the lawsuit has not yet been filed.

Family is Crowdfunding their lawsuits. This effort has raised more than $76,000 of the $500,000 target.

Bird has no reason to kill Babbitt, Roberts said, because he has no reason to believe that unarmed Babbitt poses a threat to himself or others. Bird fired a shot at the Capitol on January 6. Babbitt was the only person to be shot that day.

Since April, Byrd’s own lawyer, Mark Schamel, has been asking his client to remain anonymous, and has always spoken out on the grounds of the police officer’s personal safety. He avoided Zenger’s questions about his unnamed customer for nearly four months.

On July 9, Shamel said in a text message: “In the name of a hero who needs 24 hours of protection, it is disgusting and untenable.” He directly answered a question that mentioned Bird’s name.

“Does Byrd’s decision to accept a public interview show that concerns about his safety are unfounded?” Zenger asked him on the phone Wednesday night.

“Not in any way, shape or form,” Shamel replied, then declined any further comment. A few minutes later, he texted: “I can confirm that my client is a hero. My client has reason to use force to protect members of Congress from the imminent threat posed by violent thugs. He shot and killed the first one to break into the inner chamber of the House of Representatives. The thugs. The delegates and… the civil case against him or the congressional police has no legal or factual basis.”

“If the dead violent rebels [Babbitt] If she survives,” Shamel wrote, “she will be prosecuted on felony charges and will go to jail with her fellow rebels. “

Most of the hundreds of protesters formally indicted on January 6 were charged with trespass, vandalism or similar minor crimes. Convictions for these crimes rarely result in imprisonment.

Bird shot Babbitt, one who had been the Gulf War, And she tried to climb over the smashed windowpane and illegally entered the Speaker’s Hall, which is an area adjacent to the floor of the House of Representatives. Amateur video shows that Byrd’s arm stretched out and kept still, then he shot the 35-year-old woman at the door.

It can be seen from the video that Babbitt, carrying a backpack, may not have seen Bird before a bullet from his semi-automatic weapon hit her. The upcoming civil lawsuit may depend on whether Bird warns Babbitt before dismissal. The publicly available video does not include any audio of Bird issuing a warning or announcing that he has drawn his gun.

The public knows very little about the 53-year-old Bird.America Ministry of Justice He and Congress police have been tight-lipped about him, even though both agencies issued press releases, lacking details, and declared him not guilty. Many people living near the long-time Capitol Hill police officer in Brandywine, Maryland, squatted down, and when reporter Zenger visited and asked about their handsome neighbor who had suddenly retreated after the shooting, they did not ring the doorbell.

A press photo of the House of Representatives on January 6th, where Bird directed security, showing him holding a pistol in his right hand. In the photo, Bird is eager to help other police officers and agents because they protect a blocked doorway from angry protesters—the doorway that many presidents have walked through when speaking at a joint meeting of Congress.

Photo by Bloomberg News published by Getty Images showed that his shooting hand was wearing a unique bracelet on his wrist-a pattern of white beads interrupted by isolated black beads.The same bracelet is Visible in amateur videos, In Bird’s right hand, the moment he fired.

Bird’s identity occasionally surfaced, in most cases Twitter There, after killing a civilian while on duty, the guerrillas vented his ability to avoid public attention.A sort of July report At the House hearing on February 25, a member from Real Clear Investigations briefly mentioned an unattended moment when the Acting House Armed Sheriff Timothy Blodgett leaked Burgess De’s name.

In explaining why his staff did not communicate with the U.S. Capitol Police by radio during the crisis, Blodget told lawmakers: “We communicate with our staff via mobile phones and text messages. We maintain close contact. What you discussed The situation was the door where Officer Bird was. When Ms. Babbitt was shot, it was our armed sergeant who offered her help on the spot.”

Transcript of C-SPAN The hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee omitted Bird’s name. CQ Transcripts is a division of the news organization CQ-Roll Call (formerly known as the Congressional Quarterly) and includes a transcript.

This story is provided by Newsweek Zenger News.