Show an ad over header. AMP

Capitol Police officer killed in vehicle attack to lie in honor in Capitol Rotunda

06 April 2021
Dan Ackermann

Capitol Police officer Billy Evans, who was killed last Friday in a vehicle attack on the Capitol, will lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on April 13, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Tuesday.

What they're saying: "In giving his life to protect our Capitol and our Country, Officer Evans became a martyr for our democracy," Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement.

  • "It is our hope that this tribute will be a comfort to the family of Officer Evans, particularly his children Logan and Abigail, as will the knowledge that so many Americans mourn and pray for them at this sad time," they added.
  • "May this tribute also be a source of comfort and an expression of gratitude to the U.S. Capitol Police Force, which has awed our nation with their courage and resilience during this devastating time."

The big picture: Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force, died last week after a suspect rammed into Capitol Police officers with a car at an entrance to the U.S. Capitol.

  • Capitol Police was already struggling after losing two officers in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection — one as a result of injuries sustained during the riot and another by suicide.
  • After the second attack, the Capitol Police union chief said the force is approaching "a crisis in morale and force numbers."

What to watch: Evans will receive a ceremonial arrivalnext Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. on the East Front of the Capitol, according to Pelosi and Schumer.

Go deeper:Capitol security task force leader urges Congress to boost resources

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

Section2

Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.