Last Updated on: 27th August 2021, 12:42 am
Who is Lt. Michael Leroy Byrd of Capitol Hill, US? Biography, Wiki
Lt. Michael Leroy Byrd has been identified as the Capitol police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt, a San Diego Air Force veteran who died on 1st January.
The US Department of Justice previously announced that the officer would not be charged in connection with Babbitt’s death, even as members of Congress were being evacuated from the area around the shooting.
Controversy arose over the authorities’ refusal to name Byrd.
Lt. Michael Byrd’s Age
His current age is 28 years.
What Was The Incident?
Live video showed Babbitt, 35, lying almost motionless on the Capitol floor as supporters of President Donald Trump walked down a hallway and through the Senate and House of Representatives.
Babbitt died trying to get through a window that led into a hallway connected to the House of Representatives House as members of Congress scrambled to safety.
Babbitt’s husband told KUSI-TV in San Diego that she was “a strong supporter of President Trump and a great patriot to all who knew her,” the station said.
Why was Capitol Hill Cop Michael Byrd not charged?
The US Department of Justice has announced that “the US District Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the US Department of Justice Division of Civil Rights will not initiate criminal proceedings against the Capitol police officer for the fatal execution of a 35-year-old woman Ashli Babbitt.”
A statement read: “The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia Civil Rights and Public Corruption Division and the Civil Rights Division, along with the Internal Affairs Division (IAD) of the Metropolitan Police Department, have conducted a full investigation into the shooting of Ms. Babbitt.”
Officials reviewed video images posted on social media, statements by the officer in question and other officials and witnesses to the events, physical evidence from the scene of the crime, and the results of an autopsy.
As a result of the investigation, the authorities determined that there was insufficient evidence to be prosecuted. DIA officials informed a representative of Ms. Babbitt’s family today of the decision.
The press release read: “The investigation found that on January 6, 2021, Ms. Babbitt joined a crowd that gathered on the grounds of the United States Capitol to protest the results of the 2020 presidential building, a joint session of Congress called to confirm the results of the Electoral College vote was under way. Members of the crowd in front of the building, which was closed to the public during the joint session, eventually broke into the Capitol, and officials from the United States Capitol Police (USCP) attempted to maintain order. The joint session was suspended and the USCP began evacuating members of Congress.”
Lt. Michael Leroy Byrd’s Crime Story
Byrd appeared in the Roll Call publication in 2019. Described as a “United States Capitol Police Lieutenant,” Roll Call reported that he “left his service weapon in a bathroom Monday night and that the weapon was discovered further afternoon without the supervision of another Capitol officer.”
Lt. Michael Leroy Byrd “left his Glock 22 in a bathroom at the Capitol Visitor Center complex,” sources said when calling up the incident.
In one of the roll calls, Byrd told other officers that he was “treated differently” for being a lieutenant, although it is unclear exactly how he heard the comment, Appell reported.
As per the KUSI, Babbitt was “a 14-year veteran who served four times in the US Air Force and was a senior security officer during his tenure.”
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 video of the live broadcast, Trump supporters yell that someone has been killed and the video points to the woman lying down with blood from her mouth. “Damn, they killed her,” said one person.
After the shooting, Trump posted a video in which he said people should go home, but he said he loved them.
“I know your pain. I know you’re hurt They stole an election from us,” Trump said.
