As we continue to navigate the political divide of 21st century America, the anger that is still felt today over the events of January 6th falls into two camps: Those who were incensed at the idea that one candidate’s supporters would overrun police and fly a Confederate flag within the halls of the Capitol, and those who believe that the election was stolen and that the death of Ashli Babbitt was unjustified.
That latter group has begun to assign martyr-like status to Babbitt, who was killed after breaching a secure hallway in the Capitol, just feet from where members of Congress were being evacuated.
Those who believed her death to be a criminal act have been attempting to learn the identity of the police officer involved in the shooting, but to no avail.
But then Lt. Michael Byrd decided to come forward himself.
In the chaotic minutes before he shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, Lt. Michael Byrd focused his attention on the glass doors leading into the lobby of the House of Representatives chamber.
About 60 to 80 House members and staffers were holed up inside, and it was Byrd’s job to protect them.
As rioters rampaged through the Capitol, Byrd and a few other officers of the U.S. Capitol Police set up a wall of furniture outside the doors.
“Once we barricaded the doors, we were essentially trapped where we were,” Byrd said in an exclusive interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt, speaking publicly for the first time since the riot. “There was no way to retreat. No other way to get out.
“If they get through that door, they’re into the House chamber and upon the members of Congress,” added Byrd, who gave NBC News permission to use his name after authorities had declined to release it.
Byrd was adamant that he was doing the right thing:
“I know that day I saved countless lives,” Byrd said. “I know members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in jeopardy and in serious danger. And that’s my job.”
Byrd said he had no idea whether the person he shot was carrying a weapon. It was only later that night that he found out that the rioter was a woman who was unarmed.
Asked why he pulled the trigger, Byrd said it was a “last resort.”
“I tried to wait as long as I could,” he told Holt. “I hoped and prayed no one tried to enter through those doors. But their failure to comply required me to take the appropriate action to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers.”
The revelation of Byrd’s identity is sure to rile the far-right, who believe that Babbitt was a supreme patriot worthy of a legal ruling in her favor.
