Edited by: TJVNews.com
As new developments about the January 6th protest at the Capitol building in Washington keep dominating headlines, it was reported today that the police officer who shot and killed protestor Ashli Babbitt, 35, on that fateful day has revealed his identity in a television interview on Thursday evening.
After being cleared only days ago of any wrong doing in the shooting after an internal probe had been conducted, the New York Post reported that Captain Police Lt. Michael Byrd, 53, spoke with NBC’s Lester Holt about the shooting and what led up to it.
The paper previously reported that the internal investigation supported a statement by the Justice Department in April declaring that no charges will be brought against the cop, who is reportedly a “high ranking” officer.
The Post reported that Byrd is a 28-year law enforcement veteran. Having joined the Capitol police force in 1993, he came to public view in 2019 for leaving his loaded service revolver in a bathroom at the Capitol, according to a report in the UK Daily Mail.
In a statement sent to the NY Post, Byrd’s lawyer Mark Schamel said, “Lt. Byrd was forced to come forward because he was already identified by multiple unscrupulous outlets and has received hundreds of death threats. He has had to live in hiding because the FBI threat assessment was so serious.”
In the interview with Holt, Byrd said that he shot Babbitt as a “last resort” because he believed she posed a threat to members of Congress, according to a Reuters report.
“I tried to wait as long as I could. 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,” Byrd said on the Thursday evening edition of NBC Nightly News.
Byrd fatally shot Babbitt as she tried to make her way through a smashed window into the House of Representatives’ Speaker’s Lobby, as was reported by Reuters.
Babbitt, who hailed from San Diego was a decorated security forces controller who served in Middle East tours from 2004 to 2016.
Reuters reported that the Capitol Police review of the shooting concluded that it may have saved lives.
“The actions of the officer in this case potentially saved Members and staff from serious injury and possible death from a large crowd of rioters,” the department said. It added that the officer’s family had “been the subject of numerous credible and specific threats.”
The Post reported that Terrell Roberts, an attorney representing Babbitt’s family, called Byrd’s decision to reveal his identity an unexpected turn of events. Speaking to the UK Daily Mail, Roberts said, “Quite a turn-around, given the months of constantly saying that to identify him would expose him to danger. Where did that one go?” He added that, “The US Congress wants to protect this man. He’s got friends in high places, and they want to protect him.”
Some right-wing groups have embraced Babbitt as a martyr, arguing she was intentionally murdered.
