A policeman has become for many the “hero” of the US Capitol.
The images of agent Eugene Goodman facing the mob of supporters of President Donald Trump who assaulted the headquarters of Congress in Washington on January 6 have earned him numerous accolades.
In the assault on the day that legislators certified the victory of Joe Biden in the presidential elections, five died people, including a police officer.
Another agent who was on duty during the assault took his own life this week, according to his family.
Here’s the scary moment when protesters initially got into the building from the first floor and made their way outside Senate chamber. pic.twitter.com/CfVIBsgywK
– Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021
The value apparently displayed by Goodman, who has been published as an Army veteran and served in Iraq, matches with criticism against the Capitol Police for the failures in the security operation that day.
Kirk Burkhalter, professor of Criminal Law at the New York School of Law and during 20 years member of the New York Police Department, described the Goodman’s reaction to the assailants as “tremendous.”
“I don’t think there is a training that will prepare you for that situation, “Burkhalter said.
In the video recorded by Huffington Post reporter Igor Bobic, Goodman, black, is surrounded by a group of Trump supporters, all white.
Goodman appears attracting the attention of the assailants to keep them away from the entrance unprotected from the Senate plenary room.
Christopher J. Hale, a Democratic politician from the state of Tennessee, was one of those who referred to Goodman’s performance.
“At this dangerous moment in the history of our nation, he was the only person standing between democracy and the rule of tyrants,” he wrote on Twitter along with a photograph of the moment.
Officer Eugene Goodman stopped a mob of white rioters from entering the chambers of the United States Senate.
At this perilous moment in our nation’s history, he was the one person standing between democracy and the rule of tyrants.
(Photo Credit: New York Times) pic.twitter. com / vTjvVp9SLe
– Christopher J. Hale (@chrisjollyhale) January 10, 116438016
The man in front of the group of assailants, who wears a QAnon shirt, has been identified as Doug Jensen, from Iowa and was later arrested for his involvement in the incidents.
In the recording, Jensen can be seen leading the group that chases Goodman up the stairs, just a few meters from the entrance to
As he walks away from the assailants, Goodman is heard shouting over the radio: “Second floor!”, apparently with the intention of alerting his companions that the group is approaching the inside the room where the laws of the United States are passed.
After glancing at the entrance to the Senate chamber, he slightly pushes Jensen, in a movement that seems to seek to distract his attention from that unprotected access and get the attackers to focus only on him.
The scene of Goodman chased upstairs with some carrying Confederate flags, the slave side in the American Civil War (1861 – 1865), and others with symbology elements The Nazi is extremely worrying for Burkhalter.
“Police officer or not, seeing a black man chased by someone carrying a Confederate flag; there is always something wrong with that image. It shouldn’t happen again, ”he said.
“ It just stinks of everything we have to fix. ”
Suspended Police
Two Capitol Police officers were suspended and until 15 are being under investigation for their actions during the Jan.6 assault, stated Tim Ryan, a Democratic member of the House of Representatives who chairs the House subcommittee investigating the police response to the assault.
Ryan said Without offering more details, one of the agents took a selfie with one of those who violently entered the Capitol and another put on a cap with the slogan “Let’s make America great again”, the one from the Donald Trump campaign.
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The praise for Goodman also came from some members of Congress and some asked that the agent be decorated with the Medal of Honor of this institution.
“While Trump’s mob of fascists swept the Capitol, this brave officer kept the murderous rioters away from the Senate chamber and saved the lives of those inside “, wrote Congressman Bill Pascal on Twitter.
” Last Wednesday, I was inside the Senate chamber when the officer diverted from it to a angry mob at great personal risk. His quick reflexes and decisive action that day saved lives and we owe him a debt of gratitude, “wrote Senator Bob Casey this Monday.
The meeting between Goodman and the assailants occurred just minutes before that the authorities managed to seal the accesses to the Chamber, according to the reports of the newspaper The Washington Post .
Goodman is one of the 2. 000 agents of the Capitol Police Department. It is a body in charge of protecting the historic building and independent of the Washington DC police, which patrols the rest of the capital.
What happens now with Capitol Police
Capitol Police Department Chief Steven Sund resigned last week after criticism received for responding to the assailants. Democrat Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, called for his resignation.
Acting Attorney Michael Sherwin said the Justice Department will consider filing criminal charges against any Capitol Police officer in the to prove that he was in league with the assailants.
Agent Howard Liebengood, of 51 years old, who was on duty on the day of the incidents, committed suicide on Saturday, according to his family.
The lawyer of the family described Liebbengood’s death as a “devastating loss”, who was carrying 15 years in the Department.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney said on Twitter that both he and his team they were “desol ados ”for Liebengood’s death.
“Howie was a happy and familiar presence, and also a friend to me and my team,” he wrote. “His courage, kindness and genuine concern for others was something that all of us who had the privilege of knowing him deeply felt.”
According to CBS News , the United States partner of the BBC, the Capitol Police have had to respond to several incidents in which officers threatened to self-harm after the January 6 assault.
For Burkhalter, the responsibility for any security breach rests with the senior commanders of the Department.
According to this expert, when it gets to the extreme that a single agent like Officer Goodman has to make decisions about where to deploy resources, it means that the battle has already been lost. “It should never have gotten to that point,” he said.
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