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Shocking video inside Capitol siege shows rioters seeking lawmakers
WARNING: Explicit language. Footage taken by a reporter for The New Yorker documents the siege of the US Capitol on January 6.
USA TODAY
The claim: Black Lives Matter protesters once protected a policeman, unlike rioters at the siege of the Capitol who allegedly killed a police officer
Following the Capitol siege on January 6, many Americans criticized the police’s response to pro-Trump riots, pointing to the heavy presence of law enforcers at Black Lives Matter protests last year. One viral post alleges that protesters at Black Lives Matter in Louisville, Kentucky, protected a police officer who was separated from fellow officers, while rioters at the Capitol were allegedly responsible for the death of an officer.
‘I remember the Louisville police who were separated from the group and the BLM protesters did not kill him. They protected him. “I saw the magma rioters kill a policeman with a fire extinguisher,” Aaron Brown wrote. A screenshot of Brown’s post was shared through a Facebook page.
The report contains a photo of protesters of Black Lives Matter, arms outstretched and a barrier in front of a lone police officer. The post has been shared more than 200 times.
USA TODAY reached out to Facebook for comment. Brown could not be reached for comment.
Fact check: Meme inaccurately depicts police action during BLM protest in New York
BLM protesters protect the lone man
It’s true that protesters at Black Lives Matter in Louisville protected a police officer who was alone, according to the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The officer, Galen Hinshaw, responded to another officer’s call for help over the radio, when he found himself alone in a crowd of protesters. He was leaning against a wall and stopped to reevaluate the situation, when some protesters moved closer and started yelling at him.
While Hinshaw was searching the crowd for weapons and waiting for help, a protester in a red University of Louisville mask stepped in front of him and the nearest protester. Another protester, local entrepreneur Darrin Lee Jr., tied his arms to the man in the red mask.
“When I saw the guy with the red mask coming up, I said, ‘I have to get up,'” Lee told the Courier Journal. “It was reactive. I just went. ‘
Fact check: Quotes from Democratic leaders on riots, unrest ripped out of context
More protesters joined to form a barrier around Hinshaw until other officers showed up.
“Those guys, they saved me,” Hinshaw told the Courier Journal. “There is no doubt about it.”
The photo taken in the Facebook post was taken by Michael Clevenger, a journalist from the Courier Journal.
A US Capitol Police Officer Kills Riotous
It is also true that a US police officer died in the Capitol after being ‘injured while physically engaging in protest with protesters’. Several news reports say he was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher during the riot on January 6. However, the circumstances of his death are still being investigated and it is unclear whether he was beaten to death, as the viral post claims.
The officer, Brian Sicknick, died the next day in hospital, where he was treated for his injuries. According to USA TODAY, his death is being treated as a murder by federal and local authorities.
More: Fact check: Viral images compare handling of Black Lives Matter protests and Capitol riots
Our rating: true
The allegation that Black Lives Matter protesters in Louisville protected a police officer who was separated from fellow officers while a U.S. police officer died in the Capitol after being hit with a fire extinguisher is TRUE, based on our research.
Our fact-checking sources:
- US TODAY, January 6, ” Double standard ‘: Bids, black lawmakers and activists reject police response to US Capitol attack
- The Louisville Courier Journal, June 6, 2020, ” They Saved Me ‘: How Protesters Protect a Lonely Police, Captured for a Moment in Powerful Photos “
- The Louisville Courier Journal, June 6, 2020, “Five Strangers Work Together to Protect Officer During Breonna Taylor Demonstrations”
- USA TODAY, January 8, “Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick, who died after Trump’s riot, was veteran and war critic”
- USA TODAY, January 8, “The death of Capitol police officer investigated as murder; Trump’s legal exposure questioned”
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