Officer who shot Ashli Babbitt during Capitol riot breaks silence: 'I saved countless lives'

[demmiblue]

In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Lt. Michael Byrd said he opened fire only as a “last resort” after the rioters failed to comply with his commands.

In the chaotic minutes before he shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, Lt. Michael Byrd focused his attention on the glass doors leading into the lobby of the U.S. House of Representatives chamber.

About 60 to 80 House members and staffers were holed up inside, and it was Byrd’s job to protect them.

As rioters rampaged through the Capitol, Byrd and a few other officers from the Capitol Police set up a wall of furniture outside the doors.

“Once we barricaded the doors, we were essentially trapped where we were,” Byrd said in an exclusive interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt, speaking publicly for the first time since the riot. “There was no way to retreat. No other way to get out.”

“If they get through that door, they’re into the House chamber and upon the members of Congress,” added Byrd, who granted NBC News permission to use his name after authorities had declined to release it.
Supporters of President Donald Trump protest inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.Roberto Schmidt / AFP - Getty Images file

Byrd’s connection to what was going on outside and inside the building was his police radio. For several minutes, it crackled with a cascade of alarming messages.

There were shouts of officers down. Screams from his colleagues under attack by rioters with chemical agents. A report that an officer’s fingertips were blown off.

“It was literally broadcast over the air,” Byrd said. “I said, ‘OK, this is getting serious.’”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officer-who-shot-ashli-babbitt-during-capitol-riot-breaks-silence-n1277736

Link to tweet

[elleng]

1. 'I saved countless lives'

Yes, he did. Sorry he's put his name out.

[wryter2000]

2. Me, too

I worry for him and his family. The crazies think she was a martyr. They'll see killing him a valiant action.

[elleng]

4. Right.

VERY concerned.

[Solomon]

44. The crazies already had his name and address. Snitches on the force and all.

Being that they know who he is it was smart of him to step out.

[soldierant]

48. Thanks for pointing this out

so I didn't have to.

[leftieNanner]

3. This is a very brave man

He was brave on January 6th when he protected members of Congress from the mob.

And he's doubly brave today for speaking out and using his name and his face. He will be targeted by Trump's goons. Hope he and his family have good security and a safe house.

[David__77]

6. Hopefully he has had good security.

The racists and fascists already identified him quite a while ago.

[David__77]

5. Excellent development.

I wonder what Trump will say.

The fascists already knew who it was.

[SergeStorms]

7. Now he's in for it.

He did what he had to do, given the situation. It worked. Not one more insurectionist came through that door. They stopped.

Ashli Babbot should never gave tried going through that door. They were all warned, repeatedly, yet she took it upon herself to continue. She paid the ultimate price for her stupidity.

I fear Lt. Byrds has just put a huge target on his back. There's always one MAGAt that will take it upon himself to become a MAGAt martyr. I dread what will happen now. These people are not sane, and one of them will try to make himself a "hero" in MAGAtland by killing Officer Byrd.

[COL Mustard]

26. With A Little Luck.....

Many of them will be dead from the non-existent COVID soon.

[SergeStorms]

33. Hopefully.

Just like Ashli Babbit. Warned, warned again, but they don't listen. They truly are a death cult.

[ecstatic]

8. I agree with him, but why the heck did he come forward??

Or did trumpers already out him? Everyone already knows he's a hero so I don't think he should have done this interview.

[demmiblue]

9. He was already outed:

In the days after Jan. 6, Byrd’s name leaked out in right-wing media and online forums. Then came the threats.

“They talked about killing me, cutting off my head,” Byrd said, adding that there were also racist attacks.

“It’s all disheartening, because I know I was doing my job.”

The hardest part, he said, has been the effect on his family. A tear slid out of Byrd’s eye and trickled down his right cheek as he lamented how the life he built has been upended.

[bottomofthehill]

15. He was being followed already with pictures of him and his wife.

His name was already out. Part of the reason he is coming forward now is that he was attacked by the Babbit family lawyer on Sinclair owned stations nation wide on Sunday.

[demmiblue]

17. I must have missed that.

Thanks for filling us in.

Bottom feeders, the lot of them.

[bottomofthehill]

19. The Daily mail is garbage but

If you scroll down through this article, you can tell that the pictures of Mike were taken in the winter, not in the DC Summer. You can see in the picture with his wife, he knows he is being surveilled. He is looking directly at the photographer. He has known for a long time that his name and info are “out there”. After the Babbitt family lawyer attacked him on Sinclair owned stations this weekend, he felt he had to respond.

https://apple.news/Alba_YeUpSrC1iHgO26EqrAThanks

[bottomofthehill]

16. Posted yesterday, but

Too many people already know who he is
Even the Republican members who are saying, we want to release his name know who he is. They talk a big game but don’t actually have the balls to put his name out there. It’s easy to talk shit, but much harder to actually paint the target on his back. They don’t have the balls he had. Not even little tiny mouse balls.

He has been accused of ambushing Ashli Babbit, laying in wait for her, opening fire on her, executing her, what he did was protect the members of Congress as he took an oath to do.

He has been attacked by the former President, members of Congress, members of the press, members of the Babbitt family, right wing nuts, and now he is doing what he thinks is best for him. He is facing litigation, paying for lawyers and counseling for himself and family, he is in a terrible position. It is his decision to come forward. He has to be scared either way, but he is stepping up and out.

Sinclair had the Babbit family lawyer on on Sunday further attacking him. He made a very difficult decision to discharge his weapon in performance of his duty to protect Members of Congress, Congressional Staff and his fellow officers as was his duty. He made a decision that will impact the rest of his life.

I worry for his safety today and will continue to worry for his safety tomorrow after the interview.

[ecstatic]

25. uggh! This makes me so angry! nt

[Red Mountain]

10. Hero

That he understands what going public may mean makes him that much more of a hero in my estimation.

There are a lot of good and honorable people out there. Don't forget that. It gives me hope.

[wnylib]

36. Sometimes going public when you

have death threats can be helpful. Everyone knows then what the risks are that you face. Besides, the crazies were already making death threats, so why try to hide out in fear any more?

I hope that he and his family will survive this to go on and have safe, peaceful lives.

[mcar]

11. I'm not much of a prayer, but I pray for this man's safety. nt

[ffr]

12. Yes he did! He is an American hero. One shot that possibly changed the world.

Never thought I'd say that.

[Kingofalldems]

13. RW trolls were all upset about him last night

when news of this interview broke.

[Caliman73]

14. Oh shit! He's Black!!

This man is the example of how police officers are sometimes put into the shittiest situations and they have to make shitty decisions that end up in tragedy, but they do so with compassion, conviction, and meaning to do the right thing. You can tell that the last thing he wanted to do was pull the trigger. Unlike other examples (the Derek Chauvins of the world) who just can't wait to get a boot on the neck of a minority or shoot 27 times cause the guy had a sandwich in his hand and was running away. I am waiting for all of the "patriots" to start convulsing at seeing a person of color having killed an insurrectionist in the line of duty, defending public servants from an angry racist mob.

[BradAllison]

28. I knew he was black the day of. You could see his hand in the video.

This is clearly even more traumatic for the Trump racist kabal.

[Hekate]

18. Please, please stay safe, Lt Byrd

[Aussie105]

20. He and his family need a safe place.

And not in America.

A name change, different passports, a late night private plane flight to a different country?

Be safe, all those who serve and protect!

[Irish_Dem]

39. Yep. We are going to have to set up witness protection programs to hide people from the GOP.

And the Magats.

[Takket]

21. now that we know what he looks like, they can get started on the statue in his honor

[UGADawg]

22. He should have shot 100 More**

*

[bottomofthehill]

30. Then he would have to live with shooting 101 people.

It is not that easy, he shot 1 person, it was necessary to protect others but you can see that it weighs heavily on him.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

23. The Good Man had a gun that day.

I wish him health and long years.

[bottomofthehill]

27. A good man, well trained, who made a very difficult decision and did his job

He saved lives, protected members of Congress and upheld his oath.

[Hulk]

24. Salute!!

It's not easy to shoot another human being. This took courage, and it did stop, or at lease slow down, these thugs and seditious thugs and cult mobsters. I'm proud of him. I'm sure it bothers him everyday...as it probably should. But his action was totally justified and necessary.

[bottomofthehill]

29. 100 percent correct.

His actions were heroic, and now he lives every day with the deface that he had to take a life to protect others. What a difficult decision. Thank you Lt Byrd.

[FailureToCommunicate]

31. Sorry, but I thought Lester Holt asked lousy, leading questions. Lt Byrd was emotional, but

forthright in his answers. A brave LEO indeed.

[Blue Owl]

32. He took the MAGAts out at the knees

[Smackdown2019]

34. When a Coup d'tat was underway, America stood her ground!

Any one of us would of pulled the trigger to stop the Coup d'état. He ensured our democracy prevailed and it did. Now, we must ensure it never happens again!

[Evolve Dammit]

35. This is nothing more than doing his job of protecting Congress from a murderous mob intent on

taking the law into their own hands. This was not "trespassing" or illegal etc. This was an attempt to overthrow the US. He saved lives and should be commended. He won't and will probably be attacked by other dangerous domestic TERRORISTS. I hope the FBI is watching and Capitol Security has seriously increased their capability. Another one is coming soon.

[Best_man23]

37. He was right, that shooting did save countless lives

While we saw most of the Capital Police and US Secret Service brandishing pistols, I guarantee there were other officers we didn't see carrying much heavier weapons. If you look at the video of Senate Majority Leader Schumer running with his security detail, the man at point is carrying what looks very much like a submachine gun, most likely a Heckler & Koch MP5.

The MP5 is issued to Special Forces and has a fearsome rate of fire (>800 rounds/min). Had Ms. Babbitt and the other members of the Q Lunatic Fringe managed to get past Lt Byrd, there were likely Capital Police and USSS carrying this submachine gun and perhaps more waiting behind him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_%26_Koch_MP5

[elias7]

38. So a 14 yr military vet is crawling into a chamber with government officials to do what?

Have tea?

[thucythucy]

40. This man is a prime candidate for a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Giving it to this courageous patriot might take some of the stench off an award that the Slobfather gave to Limbaugh.

This man deserves all the honors we can bestow.

[Beartracks]

46. Byrd's no Limbaugh.

And that iis hugely to Byrd's credit!!!

========

[Ziggysmom]

41. Babbit's money grubbing family attorney states she was ambushed. What a crock of schmidt!

I hope they don't collect a single penny. Dummasses.

[John1956PA]

42. The horrible Ron Johnson used the term "lying in wait" in questioning an FBI official at a hearing.

Johnson should be banished from the Senate for that ludicrous remark.

[Ziggysmom]

49. He's the biggest crook in the senate.

https://madison.com/ct/opinion/editorial/editorial-ron-johnson-is-a-crook/article_9001d5cd-65d6-533b-9283-5453c28ec301.html

[Moebym]

43. This man and his family must be protected at all costs. n/t

[The Jungle 1]

45. Babbitt was a treasonous slime.

She hatted our country like all the rest of her treasonous scum bag friends.

[2Gingersnaps]

47. God bless him and God help him;

she was no damn hero, he was. I am one of those science nerds who believe, as science has proven, that there is one race, the human race. We ALL came from the cradle of Africa, where we landed on the globe during the great migration determines our melanin content (skin color) and how we perceive our origin story/faith.

So why oh why was my first reaction "OMFG, he is black, they will never stop." If that were Antifa or BLM as they like to claim, their only issue would be that the body count was only one, instead of all of them. For crying out loud, they turned on their own in a heartbeat and started threatening and stalking them for failing whatever the current purity test is. They turned on the Orange Grand Dragon for telling them to get vaccinated in Alabama.

I hope this man has serious protection, and if he has a family, they are in witness protection style security.