I ask an uncomfortable question. Why isn't Michael Byrd on trial? He shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during a mostly peaceful protest inside the Capitol on January 6.
(Article by Don Surber republished from DonSurber.Blogspot.com)
Three trials this year beg this question.
The most recent trial ended last week when a jury convicted Kim Potter, who while a police officer shot and killed a driver who was trying to leave the scene after he was pulled over by the cops. Potter said she mistook her gun for a taser. While that may be true, nevertheless the jury found her guilty of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter.
The first of the three trials was of Derek Chauvin who was convicted of killing George Floyd. A drug user with a record of crimes, Floyd was higher than a kite. Chauvin, then a police officer, held him down awaiting putting him in jail. He blocked medical treatment. Floyd died later in custody. A jury convicted Chauvin of murder.
The third was the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse who shot and killed two rioters who attacked him, and wounded a rioter who pulled a gun on him. The jury found him innocent of all charges.
As a casual observer, I think jurors got all three verdicts right.
Which brings me to Byrd. Why should he not face a jury of his peers to determine whether his killing of Babbitt was murder?
NBC reported in August, "In the chaotic minutes before he shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, Lt. Michael Byrd focused his attention on the glass doors leading into the lobby of the House of Representatives chamber.
"About 60 to 80 House members and staffers were holed up inside, and it was Byrd’s job to protect them.
"As rioters rampaged through the Capitol, Byrd and a few other officers of the U.S. Capitol Police set up a wall of furniture outside the doors.
"'Once we barricaded the doors, we were essentially trapped where we were,' Byrd said in an exclusive interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt, speaking publicly for the first time since the riot. 'There was no way to retreat. No other way to get out.
"'If they get through that door, they’re into the House chamber and upon the members of Congress,' added Byrd, who gave NBC News permission to use his name after authorities had declined to release it."
He told a harrowing tale. As did Potter. As did Rittenhouse.
But there also is video, the same thing that brought Chauvin and Potter down, but video exonerated Rittenhouse. Let's go to the tape. Let's let a jury decide whether shooting an unarmed woman who seemed to pose no physical threat to anyone was a justifiable homicide.
We all know why Byrd won't stand trial. It's the same reason Hillary didn't and Hunter won't. They are part of the protected class. They are above the law. A Washington that blew millions on an investigation into a conspiracy theory about Russia that everyone knew was a lie won't spend 10 cents on real justice in these three cases.
I am not saying convict Byrd. I am saying try him, if only for the peace of mind of a nation that no longer can trust its federal government.
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