Who is Michael Byrd? Cop says he shot Ashli Babbitt because she posed a 'threat'
The cop who shot Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt during the altercation on January 6 has been allegedly identified ahead of his first interview. Babbitt's family attorney, Terry Roberts, in an interview, named Lieutenant Michael Leroy Byrd as the cop who killed her. Officer Byrd was filmed gunning down Babbitt, 35, but had remained anonymous to the public since the incident. Byrd spoke to NBC on Thursday, August 26. He told NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt that there have been racist and "very vicious and cruel things" said about him. "It's all disheartening because I know I was doing my job," he said in the interview.
According to reports, the officer's identity was known to US Capitol Police, congressional staffers and federal investigators but was not disclosed to the public. "The US Congress wants to protect this man. He’s got friends in high places, and they want to protect him. And they’ve done a pretty good job of it. … I don’t think it’s a proud moment for the U.S. Capitol Police or the U.S. Congress, " Babbitt's family attorney, Roberts said.
In an exclusive interview with @LesterHoltNBC, Capitol Police Lieutenant Michael Byrd describes why he’s choosing to identify himself. Byrd shares his account of the January 6 riot, as officers barricaded the door and he fired a single shot, killing Ashli Babbitt. pic.twitter.com/5E7KPtxNc2
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) August 26, 2021
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Byrd’s attorney, Mark Schamel, did not dispute the identification of the officer, reports say. "My client justifiably used force to protect members of Congress from an imminent threat posed by violent rioters and that he shot the first rioter who breached the inner sanctum of the House of Representatives and … there is no basis in law or fact for a civil case against him or the Capitol Police, " Schamel said. He further added, "If the violent insurrectionist who died [Babbitt] had survived, she would have been indicted on felony charges and would have been on her way to prison with her fellow insurrectionists." Asked by Holt what he thought an unarmed Babbitt was doing the moment when he shot her, Byrd said that she "was posing a threat to the House of Representatives."
Who is Michael Leroy Byrd?
According to reports, Byrd has served on the House Capitol Police Board, dating back to at least 1998. Sergeant At Arms Timothy Blodgett allegedly mentioned his name on video previously during a Capitol hearing. Reportedly, officer Byrd has a controversial reputation with a record of mishandling firearms that includes an incident where he reportedly left a loaded pistol in a Congressional Visitor Center bathroom. The unattended gun was later discovered by another Capitol Police officer. Babbitt's attorney, Roberts alleged that Byrd’s decision to fire his weapon on January 6 showed his 'unfitness' for duty. "If I was a congressman, I’d be very concerned about him carrying a gun around me, " he said. According to reports, Roberts plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit naming both Byrd and the US Capitol Police as defendants.
In his interview with NBC, he brought up the former president Donald Trump statement saying that Babbitt was "murdered at the hands of someone who should never have pulled the trigger of his gun." Byrd told Holt that Trump's statement was "disheartening." He said of Trump: "If he was in the room or anywhere and I'm responsible for him, I was prepared to do the same thing for him and his family."