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Who was Kevin Greeson? Alabama man who died in Capitol riots had a heart attack 'in the midst of the excitement'

DC Police Chief Robert Contee stated that Greeson was one of the three people who died from the result of 'medical emergencies' during the protests

A 55-year-old man from Athens, Alabama, who was one of the four people who died on Wednesday, while chaos broke out at the Capitol building, has now been identified. During a press conference on Thursday, January 7, DC Police Chief Robert Contee confirmed that it was Kevin Greeson. He stated that Greeson was one of three people who died from the result of “medical emergencies.”

Greeson, who has advocated for violence online, had a history of high blood pressure and had a heart attack "in the midst of the excitement". Greeson traveled to DC to take part in what became an insurrection. "He was not there to participate in violence or rioting, nor did he condone such actions. Kevin had a history of high blood pressure, and in the midst of the excitement, suffered a heart attack," his wife Kristi Lynn Thompson Greeson said.

Born in 1965, he reportedly loved to ride motorcycles and attended John C Calhoun State Community College in Tanner, Alabama. He worked in different sectors throughout his career. From 1985 to 2006, he worked as a safety training coordinator at Goodyear Tire and Rubber and from 2008 to 2018, he was a sales account manager at Vesuvius.

On Parler, Greeson praised the Proud Boys and humiliated high-ranking Democratic leaders, including President-elect Joe Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Stacey Abrams. In November, Greeson wrote on Parler, "All males over the age of 18 join a group.. be ready to defend our country!! Spend your money on guns and ammo... It’s time to stop this shit!!!!!" "I don’t give two f**ks about COVID.. we have a coup going on in our goddamn country.! These motherfuckering demos are going to make COVID look like a runny nose! They're goin to f*ck this county up!" he wrote in December. "Let's take this f**king Country BACK!! Load your guns and take to the streets!" he posted days later.

He also shared a photo on the platform of himself carrying two large firearms, with the caption, "I wish these motherfuckers would come to my hood!" 

As soon as his identity was revealed, Twitter users couldn't help but post their thoughts. One Internet user said, "Kevin Greeson knew he had high blood pressure. If he would've protested peacefully, he'd still be here right now." One shared his picture and said, "Here's a photo of Kevin Greeson - the 55-year-old Athens, Alabama, man who died of a "medical emergency" during the unrest in Washington yesterday - posted on Parler last month w/ the caption "' wish these motherfuckers would come to my hood!'"

Stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt wrote, "Stop making fun of this guy. He died for a belief, the same way my uncle died for Wink Martindale." And another one wrote, "Kevin Greeson — the terrorist who tased himself in the balls and gave himself a heart attack. Oh yeah, he was a winner."

Slamming him, one Internet user wrote, "Kevin was a traitor, who died committing treason. (Minor edit for clarity)." While one said, "This sounds painfully similar to the way serial killers are described: “he was a kind and normal guy. He never harmed a soul. We never saw any sign of violence.” He was there for peace gtfoh. What’s peaceful about overthrowing a government? He got what he went for."

In the recent past, he was also embroiled in several legal cases. In 2018, he started working at HarbinsonWalker International as a sales representative and then worked as a senior sales representative at Allied Mineral Products in the Huntsville-Decatur area in 2020. HarbinsonWalker International reportedly filed a lawsuit against Allied Mineral Products and him at the Pennsylvania Western District Court on January 5, 2021.

According to reports, he lived in other parts of Alabama including Decatur, Russellville, Hartselle and Huntsville aside from Athens. Not just that, he also lived in New Hyde Park, New York, USA and in Baytown, Texas, USA.