U.S. Capitol Police Lieutenant Michael Byrd, who murdered unarmed Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, is accused of fabricating a radio report in which he claims that rounds were fired at him in the Speaker’s Lobby and that he was “prepared to fire back.” This information was revealed in a recent federal complaint.
The audio clip captures the previously unidentified radio communication that The Epoch Times exclusively obtained from Capitol Police’s “OPS2” dispatch channel.
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Aaron Babbitt, a resident of San Diego, filed a federal lawsuit on January 5 in response to the death of his late wife during the Capitol incident. Mr. Babbitt is suing the federal government for $30 million in wrongful death damages and is looking for important facts on the incident. Judicial Watch is offering assistance in his case.
The lawsuit claims that Ms. Babbitt’s left shoulder was hurt when Lt. Byrd fired his Glock 22.40 mm pistol. He stated after the shooting that he had heard gunfire and was ready to defend himself.
“In fact, no shots were fired at Lt. Byrd or his fellow officers,” the lawsuit states. “The only shot fired was the single shot Lt. Byrd fired at Ashli. He heard the loud noise of the gunshot. He saw her fall backward from the window frame.”
Only a few minutes before to the event, a police dispatcher had misstated: “They’re taking shots into the House floor.”
“Lt. Byrd erroneously believed and acted on a false radio call and/or false report of shots fired on the House floor occurring before he left the House floor and moved across the Speaker’s Lobby to the adjacent Retiring Room,” the suit states.
“A reasonably prudent officer in Lt. Byrd’s position would have been aware that, in fact, the report was false and the sound heard on the House floor was glass breaking, not shots fired.”
It’s unclear why Lt. Byrd said that he was prepared to return fire after receiving it. But the complaint claims that he may have waited up to a minute for his radio dispatch to arrive after he had already shot Ms. Babbitt.
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“The facts speak truth. Ashli was ambushed when she was shot by Lt. Byrd,” the lawsuit states. “Multiple witnesses at the scene yelled, ‘You just murdered her.’”
“Lt. Byrd was never charged or otherwise punished or disciplined for Ashli’s homicide,” the lawsuit adds.
The Epoch Times was able to secure Lt. Byrd’s amazing dispatch call, which you can hear below:
This is the call’s transcript:
Officer: “Shots fired, House floor. Shots fired, House floor. Immediate assistance.”
Dispatch: “Shots fired, House floor. Shots fired, House floor.”
2nd Dispatcher: “I need units to re…”
The entire message could be heard on the OPS1 channel, however it was interrupted on the OPS2 channel:
“I need units to respond to the chamber, the House chamber floor,” the dispatcher said.
“Again, units need to respond to the House floor in reference to shots fired. They were shots fired at the House floor. Again, units to respond. They’re taking shots into the House floor. We need units to respond to that location. 1443 hours.”
Lt. Byrd: “405-B. We got shots fired in the lobby. We got fot (sic), shots fired in the lobby of the House chamber. Shots are being fired at us, and we’re prepared to fire back at them. We have guns drawn. [Unintelligible.] Don’t leave that end! Don’t leave that end!”
After Lieutenant Byrd’s broadcast, there was a sharp 11-second silence on the radio.
Dispatcher: “Simulcasting, shots fired on the House floor again.”
Lt. Byrd: “We’ve got an injured person. I believe that person was shot. It was …” (cut off by another transmission).
Unknown officer: “Shot, one down, civilian. We need EMTs. We need. … Come through on the west side of the building … to the House lobby.”
Dispatch: “That’d be House…”
Lt. Byrd: “405-B, did you copy?”
Dispatch: “I copied. House lobby, west side. Individual …”
From the Speaker’s Lobby to the sitting area, Lt. Byrd rushed away. Lt. Byrd was described as “down and out and almost in tears” by USCP Containment and Emergency Response Team member Officer Mike Brown.
Concerns regarding the death of Ms. Babbitt and the inquiry that cleared Lt. Byrd of allegations of using excessive force are raised by a recently discovered radio communication.
“We’re prepared to fire back at them” is not included in the transcript of the OPS2 radio exchanges that the Department of Justice (DOJ) submitted as evidence in the criminal prosecutions involving January 6. Rather, it states in the DOJ transcript, “And it went, so we locked it down.”
For this reason, the people who made the false changes to the Department of Justice transcript and those who gave their approval committed willful misconduct in court.
There are further inaccuracies in the official narrative of Ashli Babbitt’s final moments.
Video footage demonstrates that Ms. Babbitt did not knock against or damage the glass when she was in the hallway. As seen by the video, she actively blocked agitator Zachary Alam’s attempts to shatter the glass, and when he did manage to smash a side pane, she finally gave him a slap across the nose.
Tayler Hansen questions the veracity of the government narrative on Ashli Babbitt’s shooting event. Being the one who took the video, Hansen offers important details that cast doubt on the notion that Babbitt was a “threat” to the police.
Even with clear video footage from the hallway, the DOJ classified Ms. Babbitt as “an active participant in a ‘mob’ that had just illegally entered the Capitol building.”
An unconfirmed report claims that things are becoming worse for the Capitol Police. A report from The Epoch Times offers details regarding the medical care offered to Babbitt after she was shot.
The first-aid efforts of Mr. Gandolph and a USCP SWAT squad member are detailed in the DOJ report. But it fails to acknowledge the vital role played by Californian cardiothoracic anesthesiologist Dr. Austin Harris. Dr. Harris, who was among the throng, quickly bent over, examined Ms. Babbitt’s injuries, and administered critical medical care using his medical bag and skills.
For four minutes, Dr. Harris was helping Ms. Babbitt when a USCP bicycle police came along and physically took him away from his patient. Dr. Harris tried to help, but instead of being allowed to stay in the area, he was physically removed.
Just a short while ago, Dr. Harris was being helped by Young Kim, a medically qualified filmmaker, who was forced to stop his valiant rescue efforts and flee the scene by the authorities.
After being detained by the FBI on January 25, 2023, and charged with four misdemeanors for his attendance in the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Dr. Harris was subject to legal repercussions. In a similar vein, Mr. Kim temporarily appeared on the FBI’s most-wanted list that same day, but he was abruptly removed from it in April 2021 for no apparent reason.
In August 2021, Lt. Byrd bravely defended his conduct during the Ashli Babbitt shooting incident in a riveting NBC interview.
“I know that day I saved countless lives,” Byrd said. “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.”
Additionally, Byrd stated that when he fired and killed Babbitt, “she was posing a threat to the United States House of Representatives.”
On behalf of Babbitt’s family, a wrongful death complaint was filed in January. Right-wing legal watchdog Judicial Watch is now handling this litigation.
Lt. Byrd, who is a USCP leader and was the occurrence commandant for the House on January 6, 2021, shot Ashli as she raised herself up into the kickoff of the right entryway sidelight.… Not one individual from Congress was in the hall, which was protected by various equipped cops. Extra equipped cops were in the foyer outside the hall as well as on the bordering flight of stairs. Ashli could never have seen Lt. Byrd, who was far to Ashli’s left and on the opposite side of the doors, was close to an opening to the Retiring Room, about 15 feet away and at a 160-degree angle. Sgt. Timothy Vivacious, one of the furnished officials watching the anteroom entryways from the corridor, later told authorities exploring the shooting, “I saw him . . . there was no way that woman would’ve seen that.” Lt. Byrd, who was not in uniform, didn’t distinguish himself as a cop or in any case spread the word about his presence for Ashli. Lt. Byrd didn’t give Ashli any admonitions or orders prior to shooting her dead.
After being shot by Lt. Byrd, Ashli stayed aware for a few minutes or more. Before going into pre-terminal coma, Ashli endured excruciating agony, suffering, mental torment, and acute terror. The cause of death was listed in the autopsy report as a “gunshot wound to left anterior shoulder” with a “minutes” onset delay. Videos of the gunshot show that Ashli was aware and alive despite being in excruciating pain. Furthermore, Ashli’s lungs contained blood, demonstrating that she was still alive and breathing after being shot, and nothing about the wound track noted in the autopsy report would be anticipated to cause an instantaneous loss of consciousness or death. At 3:15 p.m., Ashli was declared deceased at Washington Hospital Center. The coroner’s office concluded that the death was caused by a murder.
In the medical world, the term “homicide” refers to a certain type of incident and does not always indicate culpability on the side of the person who may have caused the death. For example, a gunshot that occurs in self-defense might yet be labeled as a “homicide.”
Byrd’s prior police record, however, indicates a habit of carelessness.
In a restroom at the Capitol Visitor Center on February 25, 2019, Lt. Byrd abandoned his loaded Glock 22, the same gun that killed Ashli Babbitt. Later that day, during a normal security check, the loaded pistol was found. It is noteworthy that at the busiest times of the year, between 15,000 and 20,000 people visit the Capitol Visitor Center every day. Nevertheless, this occurrence was unknown to lawmakers and personnel in charge of security oversight until a reporter alerted them to it.
Lt. Byrd’s police privileges were terminated many times before January 6, 2021, because he failed to complete the semiannual weapons certification criteria. It was well known among his peers that Lt. Byrd was not a skilled shooter. In line with the range management system of the USCP, an officer who fails to achieve the weapon qualification standards is issued with one week of remedial training. After completing this training, if the officer still does not fulfill the requirements, their police authority will be revoked until they can.
When Lt. Byrd fired a gun while not on duty at a stolen car that had minors or teens, his police privileges were terminated. It became out that he was aiming for his own automobile. In a suburban neighborhood, Lt. Byrd fired several rounds at the evading car; as a result, nearby residences were struck by stray gunfire. It was concluded following an official inquiry that Lt. Byrd’s use of force was not warranted.
Lt. Mike Byrd, the Capitol Police’s head of the House Chambers division, repeatedly left a police gun unsecured in a restroom at the capital in 2019. According to those with knowledge of the situation, Byrd left his Glock 22 unintentionally in a restroom at the Capitol Visitor Center during the House’s adjournment. Byrd is on duty, but his carelessness has sparked grave worries.
It came to light in August that Michael Byrd, the officer who was involved in the shooting, was not only being promoted to captain but also avoided prosecution. A recent internal memo obtained by Roll Call verified that Byrd is one of the thirty Capitol Police personnel getting promoted.
Given his track record of careless behavior and his role in a fictitious police radio call that followed a shooting event resulting in the death of an unarmed person, Michael Byrd’s promotion is not appropriate.
