Capitol Police officer who killed Ashli Babbitt on January 6 speaks publicly for first time

[ProudModerate2]

Capitol Police officer who killed Ashli Babbitt on January 6 speaks publicly for first time: 'I know that day I saved countless lives.'

The veteran US Capitol Police officer who killed pro-Trump rioter Ashli Babbitt went public Thursday, revealing his identity and defending his actions on January 6.

"I know that day I saved countless lives," Lt. Michael Byrd said in an interview with NBC News. "I know members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in jeopardy and in serious danger. And that's my job."

... "I tried to wait as long as I could," Byrd said of the incident in the doorway. "I hoped and prayed no one tried to enter through those doors. But their failure to comply required me to take the appropriate action to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers."

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/26/politics/byrd-babbitt-capitol-riot-interview/index.html

[ProudModerate2]

I agree with everything this officer is saying here.
He did save multiple lives by doing exactly what he was trained to do.

[7,052,770]

Biden should give him the Medal of Freedom for his heroism.

[Horus]

Literal freedom fighter.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Sounds like he was in an impossible situation and Babbitt had the bad luck of being the one at the front of the mob she was part of. He did his job, which isn't always pretty.

[ProudModerate2]

From watching some of the actual interview (some video released on NBC Nightly News), I guess this officer is not back to his normal duties yet.
He says he wants to go back, but maybe the threats by trump supporting morons is too great of a risk, at the present time.

[Yoda]

Biden should give him the Medal of Freedom for his heroism.

Yeh, he should, at the next State of the Union no less. Biden's way too classy and nowhere near trollish enough to rub the republicans' nose in the fact that one of their terrorist monkeys were put down, though.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

And he's black. As if we needed him becoming more of a target, whoa boy.

That said he's a definite hero who likely saved lives.

[HAnnA MArin County]

And he's black. As if we needed him becoming more of a target, whoa boy.

That said he's a definite hero who likely saved lives.

Was just gonna say the same thing. A black man killing a white woman. Hmm, where have we seen and read this story before?

[politicallefty]

Biden should give him the Medal of Freedom for his heroism.

I literally said the same thing today, but I also remembered that it was given to Rush Limbaugh last year.

I can't believe he went public. He deserves the Congressional Gold Medal. I don't want to imagine what would've happened if these traitors would've broken into the Speaker's Lobby. They should be sentenced to the maximum penalty.

[Real Texan Politics]

Dude's getting doxxed by QAnon cultists in 3...2...1...

[Ferguson97]

Give him the Medal of Freedom… and lifetime security protection. He’ll need it.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

This guy imposed a death penalty on her for trespassing.  Not a hero.

[GeorgiaModerate]

This guy imposed a death penalty on her for trespassing.  Not a hero.

Oh, come on.  I know you're smarter than that. 

She was at the forefront of a mob that was violently forcing their way into the Capitol.  That's not just trespassing.  He was protecting Congress from the mob, and that was his job.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

This guy imposed a death penalty on her for trespassing.  Not a hero.

Oh, come on.  I know you're smarter than that. 

She was at the forefront of a mob that was violently forcing their way into the Capitol.  That's not just trespassing.  He was protecting Congress from the mob, and that was his job.

Lethal force has to be a last option and I seriously not convinced it was necessary here.

[Brittain33]

Ashli Babbitt = Horst Wessel

[compucomp]

Ashli Babbitt = Horst Wessel

I agree with this analogy (and made it myself earlier). Hopefully she didn't write a song about Trump that Trumpists can make their anthem and ultimately the national anthem.

[emailking]

This guy imposed a death penalty on her for trespassing.  Not a hero.

He shot her in the shoulder. It's unfortunate that she died, but it could have been non-lethal.

[Big Abraham]

You'd think that, in a nation supposedly concerned about police violence, a cop claiming he “saved countless lives” without evidence by pumping a bullet at point blank range into the throat of an unarmed woman would provoke outrage from these people. Not today, I guess.

[Florida Man for Crime]

A monument/statue should be constructed in remembrance of this brave officer Lt. Byrd, and other capitol police who fought back against the treasonous mob, on the capitol grounds (or perhaps right next to it on the mall). The January 6 memorial.

Also, he should have the honor of having his portrait put on official U.S. currency alongside other great American heroes who have been so honored in history (http://uspapermoney.org/faces.php)

[John Dule]

This guy imposed a death penalty on her for trespassing.  Not a hero.

When will people learn that killing someone while they are committing a crime is not "imposing the death penalty?" I think a woman should be allowed to kill a man who is attempting to rape her; that doesn't mean that I think the penalty for rape should be death.

[Hindsight was 2020]

You'd think that, in a nation supposedly concerned about police violence, a cop claiming he “saved countless lives” without evidence by pumping a bullet at point blank range into the throat of an unarmed woman would provoke outrage from these people. Not today, I guess.

She broke through a barricade with the intention to commit harm to elected officials 

[Ferguson97]

You'd think that, in a nation supposedly concerned about police violence, a cop claiming he “saved countless lives” without evidence by pumping a bullet at point blank range into the throat of an unarmed woman would provoke outrage from these people. Not today, I guess.

If someone chants "Hang Big Abraham" outside of your workplace, and then try and force their way into your workplace while their accomplices attack the security guards, does it matter that they're unarmed?

[emailking]

You'd think that, in a nation supposedly concerned about police violence, a cop claiming he “saved countless lives” without evidence by pumping a bullet at point blank range into the throat of an unarmed woman would provoke outrage from these people. Not today, I guess.

He didn't shoot her in the throat.

[Horus]

You'd think that, in a nation supposedly concerned about police violence, a cop claiming he “saved countless lives” without evidence by pumping a bullet at point blank range into the throat of an unarmed woman would provoke outrage from these people. Not today, I guess.

He didn't shoot her in the throat.

Amazing the lengths some folks go to defend the indefensible when a white woman is involved. And that's a big part of this whether anyone wants to admit it or not. Playing off the centuries old tropes of black men being predators towards white women. We all know that's what they're really mad about.

A patriotic Black man killed a seditious white woman and their brains aren't able to comprehend it.