Michael Byrd Biography – Wiki
Michael Byrd was identified as the Capitol police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt, a San Diego Air Force veteran who was shot while trying to get through a broken glass door inside the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021.
The US Department of Justice had previously announced that the officer will not face criminal charges in connection with Babbitt’s death, in part because members of Congress were being evacuated from the area near where the shooting occurred. Controversy ensued over the authorities’ refusal to name Byrd.
“Once we close the doors, we basically get stuck where we were,” Byrd said in an exclusive interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt. “There was no way to withdraw. There is no other way out.
“If they go through that door, they are in the chamber of the House and on the members of Congress … I know that that day I saved countless lives,” Byrd said. “I know that members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in danger and in grave danger. And that’s my job. “He called shooting Babbitt” a last resort. ”
Byrd, who is speaking to NBC tonight, was named by the Babbitt family’s attorney prior to that interview. His full name is Michael Leroy Byrd and his name is also Mike Byrd. He holds the rank of lieutenant and has served on the Capitol House Police Board, dating back to at least 1998, according to Legistorm.
Age
Michael Byrd is 53-years-old.
Shot and Killed Ashli Babbitt
Michael Byrd was identified as the Capitol police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt, a San Diego Air Force veteran who was shot while trying to get through a broken glass door inside the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021.
Sergeant At Arms, Timothy Blodgett goofed in a hearing and confirms Lieutenant Mike Byrd killed Ashli Babbitt.
He also claims his Sergeant at Arms employee rendered aid, he is lying. His employee touched her once, watched her bleed out, then contaminated the crime scene. https://t.co/M8uCWRKkfQ pic.twitter.com/lHxIfN0tz6
— Tayler Hansen (@TaylerUSA) July 3, 2021
The Justice for Ashli Babbit page tweeted: “Babbitt family attorney Terry Roberts identifies Ashli Babbitt’s killer as USCP Lt. Michael Leroy Byrd.” Daily Mail has posted a series of photos of Byrd, which you can view here.
Byrd’s name was previously mentioned in a video by Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett during a hearing on Capitol Hill.
“EXCLUSIVE: @LesterHoltNBC to be seated for an interview with the US Capitol police officer responsible for shooting and killing Ashli Babbitt while defending the US House chamber during the attack on the Capitol of January 6, 2021, “NBC said in a press release.
A live broadcast graphic video showed Babbitt, 35, lying almost motionless on the ground inside the Capitol building as supporters of President Donald Trump milled in a hallway and wandered through the chambers of the Senate and House of Representatives. The USA. Babbitt was killed when she tried to climb out of a window that led into a hallway connected to the House chamber as members of Congress ran to safety.
Babbitt’s husband told KUSI-TV in San Diego that she was a “staunch supporter of President Trump and a great patriot to all who knew her,” in the station’s words.
Her Twitter page contained references to QAnon, which is a fringe far-right conspiracy theory movement that believes pedophiles are embedded in high-ranking government positions. “Nothing will stop us … You can try and prove it, but the storm is here and it’s descending on DC in less than 24 hours … Dark in the light!” she wrote. She had retweeted the accounts of QAnon and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
In a photo posted on social media, she wears a QAnon t-shirt. Another woman wrote: “Landing in DC. Here to do God’s work. Save the Republic. #StoptheSteal. “Babbitt responded to that tweet on January 4, 2021, writing,” I’ll be there tomorrow! God speed! ”
A photo on Twitter of her showed her wearing a MAGA hat. “We are here enjoying our Saturday !!! together we can #MAGA #KAG God bless President Trump and God bless America 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 # Trump2020 # 4MoreYears, ”she wrote.
Byrd was the subject of a 2019 story in the Roll Call post. Described as a “US Capitol Police Lieutenant,” Roll Call reported that he “left his service weapon in a bathroom Monday night and the unattended weapon was later discovered by another Capitol Police officer. Capitol”.
Lt. Mike Byrd “left his Glock 22 in a bathroom at the Capitol Visitor Center complex,” sources told Roll Call of that incident. Speaking on a roll call, Byrd told other officers they will “treat him differently” because he was a lieutenant, although it was unclear exactly what he meant by that comment, Roll Call reported.
The Justice for Ashli Babbit page claimed Byrd was “the same person who recklessly left his service weapon in a bathroom on Capitol Hill in 2019.”
According to KUSI, Babbitt was “a 14-year veteran who served four tours with the US Air Force and was a high-level security officer during her time in service.”
CNN reported, through sources, that the woman was shot in the chest on the Capitol grounds and that she was initially in critical condition. However, she later died.
In the live broadcast video, Trump supporters yell that someone was killed, and the video shows the woman lying with blood pouring from her mouth. “Oh fuck, they killed her,” says one person.
After the shooting, Trump released a video in which he stated that people should go home but claimed that he loved them.
“I know your pain. I know you are hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us, ”Trump said.
“It was a crushing choice, and everyone knows it, but you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have public order. We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anyone to get hurt. We’ve never had something like this happen where they can take it from us all. This was a fraudulent election, but we cannot play these people. We have to have peace. We love you. You are very special. You have seen how others are treated who are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace. ”
Graphic Video Captured the Shooting, Byrd Will Not Face Charges
Graphic video captured the moment Babbitt was shot. He sounds a shot when he tries to climb out of a window into the Speaker’s lobby. That happened when people, who had already entered the United States Capitol building, clustered in a hallway in front of the lobby door.
Warning, this video is graphic:
However, the US Department of Justice announced that “The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the US Department of Justice Division of Civil Rights will not file criminal charges against the US Capitol Police Officer Involved in Fatal Shooting of 35-Year-Old Ashli Babbitt. ”
Here’s the video of the Capitol police shooting Ashli Babbitt as she and others attempted to break into the Speaker’s Lobby (a warning about viewing this)
the clip is from this much longer YouTube account of the entire mob, riot of the Capitol.https://t.co/RjENzRn2wb pic.twitter.com/XzOkcCUgls
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) January 8, 2021
A statement read: “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Civil Rights and Public Corruption Section of the District of Columbia and the Civil Rights Division, with the Internal Affairs Division of the Metropolitan Police Department (IAD), led to conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting of Ms. Babbitt. Officials examined video images posted on social media, statements from the officer-involved and other officers and witnesses to the events, physical evidence from the scene of the shooting, and the results of an autopsy. Based on that investigation, officials determined that there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal proceeding. DIA officials informed a representative of Ms. Babbitt’s family of this determination today. ”
VIDEO: Ashli Babbitt in the Capitol leading up to her shooting.
Note: this was not merely a matter of looting from corporations or destroying property. These people were threatening the lives of duly elected federal officials (like them or not) and #TheyLetThemIn. Cops moved. pic.twitter.com/UYgjVjDbiw
— Johnny Akzam (@JohnnyAkzam) January 8, 2021
According to that press release, “The investigation determined that, on January 6, 2021, Ms. Babbitt joined a crowd of people who gathered on the grounds of the United States Capitol to protest the election results. 2020 presidential elections. Inside the Capitol building, a Joint Session of Congress was taking place, convened to certify the results of the Electoral College vote. Members of the crowd outside the building, which was closed to the public during the Joint Session, finally made their way into the Capitol building and passed the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers who were trying to hold the order. The Joint Session stopped and the USCP began evacuating members of Congress. ”
Keep going:
The investigation further determined that Ms. Babbitt was among a mob of people that entered the Capitol building and gained access to a hallway outside “Speaker’s Lobby,” which leads to the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. At the time, the USCP was evacuating Members from the Chamber, which the mob was trying to enter from multiple doorways. USCP officers used furniture to barricade a set of glass doors separating the hallway and Speaker’s Lobby to try and stop the mob from entering the Speaker’s Lobby and the Chamber, and three officers positioned themselves between the doors and the mob. Members of the mob attempted to break through the doors by striking them and breaking the glass with their hands, flagpoles, helmets, and other objects. Eventually, the three USCP officers positioned outside the doors were forced to evacuate. As members of the mob continued to strike the glass doors, Ms. Babbitt attempted to climb through one of the doors where the glass was broken out. An officer inside the Speaker’s Lobby fired one round from his service pistol, striking Ms. Babbitt in the left shoulder, causing her to fall back from the doorway and onto the floor. A USCP emergency response team, which had begun making its way into the hallway to try and subdue the mob, administered aid to Ms. Babbitt, who was transported to Washington Hospital Center, where she succumbed to her injuries.
The focus of the criminal investigation was to determine whether federal prosecutors could prove that the officer violated any federal laws, concentrating on the possible application of 18 U.S.C. § 242, a federal criminal civil rights statute. In order to establish a violation of this statute, prosecutors must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officer acted willfully to deprive Ms. Babbitt of a right protected by the Constitution or other law, here the Fourth Amendment right not to be subjected to an unreasonable seizure. Prosecutors would have to prove not only that the officer used force that was constitutionally unreasonable, but that the officer did so “willfully,” which the Supreme Court has interpreted to mean that the officer acted with a bad purpose to disregard the law. As this requirement has been interpreted by the courts, evidence that an officer acted out of fear, mistake, panic, misperception, negligence, or even poor judgment cannot establish the high level of intent required under Section 242.
The investigation revealed no evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer willfully committed a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242. Specifically, the investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot at Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber. Acknowledging the tragic loss of life and offering condolences to Ms. Babbitt’s family, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Department of Justice have therefore closed the investigation into this matter.
Some news sites initially called her Ashli Babbit, but social media shows that the correct spelling of her name is Ashli Babbitt. Some people also incorrectly referred to her as Ashley Babbitt.
the police opened the fucking gates. pic.twitter.com/HyDURXfoaB
— katie (@cevansavenger) January 6, 2021
An armed confrontation took place for a time in front of the front door of the House of Representatives on the afternoon of January 6. Chaos unfolded when Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. Hours earlier, President Donald Trump held a rally in which he criticized the election results, falsely calling them a fraud and declaring himself the winner.
As Congress debated Arizona’s electoral votes, to the objection of Republican lawmakers, some outsiders suddenly began fighting with the Capitol police and then breached the door of the Capitol building, eventually reaching the Senate floor. . Several Capitol Police officers were also injured. As people who broke into the building took refuge inside the Capitol, the graphic video showed the woman lying, bloodied around her mouth, on the ground.
Babbitt Owned a Pool Services Company in San Diego
According to his Facebook page, Babbitt was the “owner/operator of Fowlers Pool Service and Supply Inc.” She lived in San Diego, was from San Diego, and was married. Photos of her show her with her husband.
In the video, Trump supporters began talking about the Civil War as the woman lay shot on the ground.
GRAPHIC: MSNBC shows video of a person being wheeled out of the Capitol on a stretcher, covered in blood and in very bad shape. pic.twitter.com/W6jKaXDudK
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 6, 2021
“Welcome to the start of a Civil War,” says a man in the video. He claims, falsely as it turned out, that the Secret Service shot him. He also said that she did not have a weapon; Authorities have not said in any way. Another man says: “The Capitol police have killed a patriot woman.” Once again, it turned out that she was not the Capitol Police. A man with a megaphone urged people not to damage the building. “This is not our house. That is why we are here, “replied another man.
“He said to go home; this is our house ”, says a man. Another man says: “Donald Trump told everyone to go home. We’re going home.”
An MSNBC video showed the woman being carried out on a stretcher.
The shooting occurred outside the chamber of the House of Representatives. Photos from inside the Chamber Chamber showed the United States Capitol Police with guns in hand pointing toward the doors at the protesters.
An Eyewitness Says Babbitt ‘Rushed Through the Windows
A man from New Jersey spoke to a reporter and said he was an eyewitness. He had a bloody hand. “We had broken into the chambers inside, and there was a young woman who ran in through the windows. Several policemen and the Secret Service said to back up, get off and get out of the way, ”he said.
He continued: “She paid no attention to the call. As we ran to grab people and push them back, they shot her in the neck. She fell on me again. She started saying that I was fine, she was fine. Then she started moving from a strange shape and blood was coming out of her neck, mouth, and nose. I don’t know if she is alive or dead. ”
A young woman was just shot in the neck right besides me in the Capitol Building pic.twitter.com/hLQo4IP8J1
— Tayler Hansen (@TaylerUSA) January 6, 2021
The man said that “the riot police came in and started pulling us out with her sticks and stuff.” When asked how they got to the Capitol, he said: “We went through the scaffolding, we went through explosions and tear gas, and we made our way through all the chambers. I’m just trying to get into Congress and whoever we can and tell them that we need some kind of investigation on this, and someone could be dead. That is not the kind of government we can have. ”
He said that he was not hurt. “It could have been me. She went in first.” He said: “This can no longer be sustained … they do not represent anyone. And now they are going to kill people.” When he was asked who he was referring to, he said: “Police, congressmen and women. Do not care. They think we are a joke. The $ 2,000 checks were a joke to them. “He said people were filming the protesters earlier and laughing at them. Once they were inside,” the guns came out. “He added,” Now we are at a point in the that it cannot be allowed to stand. ”
Social Media
.@GOPLeader confirms he heard of a call of “shots fired” from the Capitol Police. pic.twitter.com/uNaEsGt2i0
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 6, 2021
Babbitt filled his social media with references to Trump and QAnon.
“I’ll be in DC on the 6th! God bless America and WWG1WGA, ”she wrote on Twitter, making a reference to QAnon. She wrote that the governor of California had instituted a “communist government.” He responded to a tweet criticizing support for Nancy Pelosi’s $ 600 stimulus check, writing: “It’s a hit in the stomach for all of us … do you think people are still waking up? … is power. and money …. we must unite! ”
Protesters have breached the Capitol. They’re outside the Senate chamber pic.twitter.com/I021tKliUD
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021
She retweeted Georgia attorney Lin Wood. In December, she wrote: “COVID IS A F ****** JOKE!” In September, she wrote: “A landslide in Trump 2020! Let freedom ring! ”
Another woman wrote on Twitter: “Serious question: Has the government started a war against its own people?” Babbitt responded on December 20: “We are not their people … they are owned, bought, paid for, enslaved … you cannot sell your soul to the devil without a price. They chose, so did we. From dark to light! Let freedom ring and God bless America! God knows, God sees and is entering! Nothing can stop what is happening. ”
According to the Daily Mail, Babbitt was once charged with “reckless endangering, malicious property damage and dangerous driving. She was acquitted of the first charge and found not guilty of the others ”. The charges relate to an incident reported by her husband’s ex, who, the Daily Mail reports, also requested restraining orders, which were granted, accusing Babbitt of “filing false police reports against him, lying under oath on the cut and stalk her with midnight. ” phone calls. “In the incident, her ex accused Babbitt of chasing her down a Maryland highway and finishing her off.
BREAKING: Trump supporters have breached the Capitol building, tearing down 4 layers of security fencing and are attempting to occupy the building — fighting federal police who are overrun
This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Thousands, police can’t stop them pic.twitter.com/VVdTUwV5YN
— ELIJAH (@ElijahSchaffer) January 6, 2021
A mob tried to break into the chamber while members of Congress, staff and the press were inside.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, told Fox News that he heard a gun call:
“You break it, you buy it,” said a man in the video of the live broadcast. “Hey, where’s the Senate floor? They said to go to the Senate floor.”
A man in the video declared those in the Senate “patriots” and declared that the election was a fraud. “They are trying to get people out.”
They were grouped in a hallway, waving flags and shouting “whose house is our house.”
The death occurred as dramatic reports emanated from the United States Capitol building. It was locked, Vice President Mike Pence was taken to safety, Congressmen rushed out of the room, debate on the election certification was halted, and there were reports of broken glass, gunfire, and people running across the floor. of the Senate. Capitol police officers were injured.
In a dramatic scene, a man stood on the Senate floor to declare that Trump won the 2020 presidential election.
They are on camera. One is on the stand yelling ‘Trump won those elections!’ This is insane, ” Huffington Post reporter Igor Bobic wrote of Trump supporters.
“Several people got on a scaffold outside the Senate, took it to the second floor, which looked like the area where McConnell’s office is located and started banging on the windows,” Bobic wrote.
Elijah Schaffer, a reporter for Blaze TV, shared a video and wrote: “Trump supporters have breached the Capitol building, breaking down 4 layers of security fences and are trying to occupy the building, fighting the federal police who are invaded. This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. Miles, the police can’t stop you. ”
Watch the video of Trump supporters when they initially started storming the Capitol building here:
Julie Tsirkin, a reporter for NBC News, wrote that authorities were evacuating the Library of Congress. She shared an alert that said, “Stay calm and move safely into what exists” and “Close the doors behind you, but don’t lock.”
She said the Cannon office building was also being evacuated. Then the entire Capitol building was closed.
