Rosanne Boyland, a 34-year-old Trump supporter from Georgia who died during the January 6 attack on the Capitol, appears to have died in a crowd of fellow rioters while trying to fight through a police line according to videos reviewed by The Times.
Although the videos were widely circulated, Ms. Boyland’s presence in it so far unnoticed, and the manner of her death was previously unclear. The videos show her body on the ground just outside a door on the west side of the Capitol, which was the scene of the worst violence of the day.
Her clothes and backpack strap in the videos match those she saw in a photo of her taken earlier in the day, and two witnesses, one of whom tried to help her, gave similar versions of her death.
Here’s how the fateful rush unfolded.
At about 2:30 p.m., rioters on the west side of the Capitol forced themselves through the lines of Metropolitan police officers and swarmed to a second-level promenade. There they are on their way to a door and a tunnel traditionally used by presidents as they show up for their inauguration in hopes of violating the Capitol.
As soon as the crowd entered the tunnel, a line of riot police met them. Even when they started pushing, a riot could be heard on the video: “Stop pushing, someone is going to get hurt.”
Within half an hour, the corridor became full of rioters. Around 2:50 p.m., an independent photojournalist, Jon Farina, started filming.
The mob, which could be put together in a dangerous corridor, attacked officers and tried to use the weight of their joint bodies to push the officers back and trap many people in the process. Both sides filled the air with chemical irritating sprays that fired them back and forth.
The fighting inside continued for another hour as new arrivals eagerly joined the line of rioters in the packed hallway to replace those injured or tired. Somewhere among these new arrivals, though not visible on video, was Ms Boyland and her friend Justin Winchell, who accompanied her to the protest.
At 16:09 the mob can be seen opening another turn in the door. Less than a minute later, the police pushed back, and the mob could be seen tumbling at the door and down the stairs. Mr. Winchell, in a bright blue sweatshirt with hood, is only visible at the top of the stairs.
The next seven minutes can be seen as he pulls people away and apparently searches for Ms Boyland while rioters still tumble out the door. There is a calmness in the fighting, and the crowd sings, “I can not breathe!” – a rally of Black Lives Matter protests.
It is unclear from the videos whether Mrs. Boyland lived at this time, but two rioters – one with a stick and the other a crutch – launched a new attack on the police at 16:17, making it virtually impossible for officers to give her help if they could see her at all.
In the chaos, two men met me. Boyland spotted on the ground and dragged her from the door.
The men laid Ms Boyland on the stairs and tried to revive her. At least two individuals can be seen on video provided by CPR. At the top of the stairs can be seen another man, wearing a purple jacket, apparently negotiating with the police so that the rioters can get Boyland help.
About two and a half minutes after she was pulled away from the door, the men carried Ms. Boyland back to the police officers, even as other rioters continued to throw poles and other objects at the officers.
At least two people present at the door during the fight told on video how they saw a woman being trampled in the mob.
One man, who lives under the name Villain Report, said in a YouTube video on his channel that he saw a woman in the tunnel collapse from suffocation. The man said he tried to feel the woman’s pulse after she was dragged from the door, but found nothing. A Times review of the videos confirmed that he was among the men around Boyland’s body.
“By the time they decided to pick up the person and give it to a police officer, she had blue lips and blood was coming out of her nose,” he said on the video. “I do not think the person will be revived.”
In another video, an unknown rioter said he also saw a woman being trampled in the tunnel.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, paramedics who responded to a call regarding a medical emergency at the Capitol showed up to locate two police officers in the Rotunda who were carrying out Mrs Boyland, who according to the officials collapsed in the protest. The Metropolitan Police did not want to confirm whether the woman in the videos me. Boyland was not, but said she was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 6:09 p.m.
Mr. Winchell did not respond to a request for comment. After this story was first published, Ms. Boyland’s sister told a Times reporter via SMS that she was glad she had answers, but that she was now ‘left with more questions’, such as why her sister came so close to the violence.
The day after the death of Mrs. Boyland told reporters that she holds President Trump accountable.
“Rosanne was very passionate about her beliefs, as many people do,” he said. “I’ve never tried to be a political person, but I believe my own that the president’s words sparked a riot that killed four of his biggest supporters last night.”
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contribution made. Christina Kelso production contributed.