Photo: AFP
Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of the January 6 Capitol insurrection and a life-changing day for a Black Capitol officer, per The Root.
On January 6, 2021, Lt. Michael Byrd had met with his team to review security plans for the historic certification of then-President Joe Biden’s election victory. However, they were unable to prepare for the unknown, a crowd of MAGA supporters storming the Capitol to take out their frustrations over the election results.
Among those in the crowd was Ashli Babbitt, who traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally. Videos from that day show Babbitt dressed in MAGA gear and using poles to vandalize the building.
Just as a fellow Capitol Police officer had called for backup, a group of election deniers attempted to break through windows near the House chamber. When Babbitt began climbing through a broken window toward lawmakers, Byrd fired a single shot, striking her in the shoulder. She later died.
The Justice Department cleared Byrd of any wrongdoing. Still, Byrd became a target of MAGA and the Trump administration.
In the five years since the Capitol attack, the narrative around January 6 has been dramatically reshaped. Trump, the first U.S. president to attempt to remain in power after losing reelection, returned to the White House in 2025 and swiftly pardoned nearly all January 6 participants, including hundreds convicted of assaulting police officers. The Trump administration dismissed or sidelined Justice Department officials who prosecuted those cases, while allies who promoted the “Stop the Steal” movement moved into positions of influence. Rioters were recast as patriots rather than perpetrators.
“What’s important to highlight here is the glorification of Ashli Babbitt, and her death is not actually about her. It’s about the narrative,” Alex Friedfeld, an investigative researcher at the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, said. “Other people died that day, but their stories haven’t been weaponized in the same way. Babbitt was turned into a symbol to advance an us-versus-them cause.”
Even before Babbitt’s identity was publicly known, far-right figures were already elevating her as a martyr. Texas Republican Larry Brock Jr. referred to her on Facebook as the “first Patriot Martyr in the Second American Revolution.” In the days that followed, her image became central to a broader MAGA mythology surrounding January 6.
Byrd, meanwhile, became the narrative's antagonist. Trump allies pushed the slogan “Who killed Ashli Babbitt?” Babbitt's husband later sued the Metropolitan Police Department to force the release of Byrd’s name. The MAGA backlash led Byrd to receive numerous death threats, forcing the officer into hiding.
Despite the MAGA fury, Byrd maintained that he responded appropriately.
“I know that day I saved countless lives,” he said. “Members of Congress, fellow officers, and staff were in serious danger. That’s my job.”
Byrd was promoted to captain in 2023. Babbitt’s family later filed another civil lawsuit accusing Byrd and the MPD of negligence. The city settled the case for nearly $5 million.
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