By Rich Schapiro, Anna Schecter and Chelsea Damberg – NBC News
In the chaotic minutes before Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot During the assault on the Capitol on January 6 , Lieutenant Michael Byrd thought only of the glass doors leading to the lobby of the Precinct of the House of Representatives.
There they hid between 60 and 80 representatives together with their advisers and Byrd’s job was to protect them.
As the mob took over the seat of Congress, Byrd and some other Capitol Police officers erected a barricade with furniture in front of the doors.
“When we bolted the doors, we basically got stuck where we were,” Byrd said in an e Exclusive interview with television host Lester Holt from our sister network NBC News, speaking publicly for the first time since the riot. “There was no way to withdraw. There is no other way out. ” to use his name after authorities refused to reveal it.
Byrd found out what was happening outside on his police radio. For several minutes, listened with a cascade of alarming messages.
“Officer down”, I heard them shouting. His companions attacked by rioters with chemical agents also screamed in pain. He even heard a report from an agent whose fingertips had been blown off.
“They transmitted it to the air, literally, ”Byrd said, “ I said to myself, ‘Okay, this is getting serious ”.
Soon a horde arrived of assailants. Byrd, a veteran with 28 years working for the Capitol Police, drew his gun and adopted a defensive posture while the mob broke the glass doors.
He claims that he yelled at them several times to turn back . But the assailants kept advancing, and then only one of them tried to get through one of the doors.
What happened was later captured on video: Byrd fired a shot, hitting Babbitt in the shoulder .
Babbitt, of 35 years, a A veteran of the Air Force and a fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump, she fell to the ground. He later died from his injuries.
His death became a political campaign motive for the far right, which described Babbitt as a martyr. Trump himself declared that she had been murdered and suggested, falsely, that the officer who shot her worked for a high-ranking Democrat.
For Byrd, who is black, the The incident turned his life upside down. He has been in hiding for months after receiving a spate of death threats and racist attacks , that began when his name was leaked. on right-hand websites.
But in his interview with Holt, Byrd states that he has no doubt that he made the right decision in light of the circumstances.
“I know I saved countless lives that day,” Byrd said. “I know that members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in danger and in grave danger. And that’s my job. ”
Byrd said he did not know if the person he shot was carrying a weapon. Later he learned that the instigator was an unarmed woman.
When asked why he pulled the trigger, Byrd explained that it was his “last resort.”
“I tried to wait as long as I could, ”he told Holt. “I was hoping and praying that no one tried to enter those doors. But its non-compliance forced me to take the appropriate measures to save the lives of the members of Congress and myself and my colleagues, ”he added.
‘The chants increased’
The days before January 6 had nothing extraordinary for Byrd, originally from Washington DC He met with other police officers of the Capitol to review the security plan for the certification of the victory of Joe Biden in the presidential elections .
“We did not receive specific information that would force us to change or adjust our position. At the time, it felt like a routine event that I had done for the past 28 years of my career, ”he explained.
Although Byrd recognized a factor that complicated things: there were fewer officers under his command, largely due to COVID-related absences – 19.
When hundreds of Trump supporters furious at the election results flocked to the Capitol, violent clashes with police were broadcast on television. But Byrd, who guarded the House of Representatives compound, could not look at them. He depended on his police radio.
When Byrd began hearing reports of fallen officers, he did not know the extent of his injuries. At one point, Byrd said, an even more alarming message reached him on the radio: a shooting report, although he later learned it was false.
After listening for radio that the mob had entered the building, Byrt rushed into the compound and told members of the House of Representatives to hide under their chairs and stay away from doors and windows.
He informed them that they had found homemade bombs in the vicinity of the building and that the assailants were using weapons against the officers. “You need to pick up your gas masks,” Byrd told them.
And he gave one more instruction: asked the members of the Lower House to do something to hide their identity in case they came face to face with Trump supporters.
“One of the things that was imperative to inform members was that the pins that identified them be removed,” Byrd said. “To remove their jackets, to look like the staff as much as possible,” he added.
When Byrd ran out of the room, he saw that the lower house chaplain had begun to say a prayer with the members of Congress.
“I think it was at that time the congressmen also began to believe that they could suffer serious damage or injuries, “Byrd said.
Then Byrd and the other officers who were in the precinct quickly barricaded themselves in front of the glass doors with all the furniture they could find.
“That’s when I realized they were here,” Byrd said, referring to the assailants. “The chants got louder. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but it sounded like there were hundreds of people outside that door, “he said.
A video recorded by a person in the crowd shows two officers posted in front of the door . Much outnumbered, they end up stepping aside.
According to Byrd, he didn’t know those two cops were there and he couldn’t see the hundreds of Trump supporters either. behind the door because the stacked furniture obstructed his view. I also didn’t know if they were armed or not.
“It was impossible for me to see what was on the other side,” he explained.
Who he could see was a person, Babbitt, who was trying to get through the broken glass.
“I couldn’t fully see his hands or what was in his backpack nor could I know what his intentions were. But before that they had been violent, ”Byrd said. <
In their 28 years of service that It was the first time Byrd had fired his gun. In the next few minutes, he helped the representatives and their assistants out of the building. It wasn’t until later that night, when he saw the news on television, that he understood the extent of the disturbances on Capitol Hill.
Babbitt’s family lawyer he described the incident as an “ambush”, claiming that the officer did not give any warning before firing. Babbitt’s family has indicated their intention to file a civil lawsuit against the Capitol Police; He had previously filed court documents seeking the name of the officer who shot him.
The attorney, Terry Roberts, did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
Byrd says it hurt her throat for several days from the screams she had given to ask the assailants to stop and step back while they were pounding on the glass doors.
Byrd also scoffed at allegations that he had a political agenda .
“I do my work for Republicans, for Democrats, for whites, for blacks, reds, blues, greens. I don’t care about your affiliation, ”he said.
When Trump was president, Byrd explained, he accompanied him through the Capitol on numerous occasions. “If he were in the Capitol and I was responsible for him, I would do the same for him and his family,” he said.
In the days after January 6, Byrd’s name was leaked into 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.
“Everything is disheartening, because I know I was doing my job,” he said.
But the most difficult has been the effect this has had on his family. A tear slid down her right cheek as she lamented how the life she built with so much effort has changed.
“Sometimes, you can’t do anything but cry,” she said Byrd, his voice growing heavier. “You felt like you did your job. You helped protect the legislative leaders of this country and fought for democracy and to keep them established. ”
An incident that Byrd had several years ago has also gained renewed attention online: in 1200, left his service weapon in a bathroom, where another officer finally discovered it.
In the interview of NBC News, Byrd described the incident as a “terrible mistake.”
“I recognized it. They penalized me for it. I went ahead, ”he explained.
After being silent for seven months while the investigations were being carried out, Byrd claimed that wanted to speak up to counter the misrepresentations of his actions, even if doing so would exposes more threats and hatred .
“It’s scary. Once again, I think I showed a lot of courage on January 6, and it’s time for me to do it again, ”he said.
You know there are people who are not according to their actions and that they probably never will be.
“I hope you understand that I did my job. There was an imminent threat and danger to members of Congress. I just want the truth to be told, ”the officer explained.