Capital Police Describe Violence and Hate of Jan.

6 th During House Testimony

By Patrick Jenkins

Last Tuesday, the House of Representatives’ January 6 th Investigation Committee heard testimony from
four officers, Metropolitan Police’s Officer Daniel Hodges and Officer Michael Fanone and U.S. Capitol
Police’s Sgt. Aquilino Gonell and Officer Harry Dunn, where congressmembers truly discovered how
dangerous those rioters were that day.

“I was grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country,” said Officer Fanone. He
quickly lost consciousness for four minutes. Doctors at the hospital later told him that he had a heart
attack.

“I heard chants of ‘kill him with his own gun.’ I can still hear those words in my head today,” Fanone
said.

Sgt. Gonell described his horrendous ordeal of being crushed by rioters while guarding an entrance;
telling the committee that he remembered thinking, “This is how I’m going to die”.

Perhaps the most disturbing revelation came from Officer Dunn’s testimony. Dunn, who’s Black,
confronted the rioters’ claims of a “stolen election” by stating his vote for Biden should be counted.

“One woman in a pink MAGA (Make America Great Again) shirt yelled, ‘You hear that, guys, this n*****
voted for Joe Biden!’” said Dunn.

“Then the crowd, perhaps around 20 people, joined in, screaming “Boo! F****** n*****!” he testified.

Dunn said another Black male officer told him that, while also confronting the rioters, he was told to
“Put your gun down and we’ll show you what kind of n***** you really are!”

Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi then asked Dunn how he felt receiving racial slurs from civilians in
the U.S. Capital as a Black police officer.

“It’s just so disheartening that people like that will attack you just for the color of your skin,” Dunn
answered. “Once I was able to process it, it hurt. My blood is red. I’m an American citizen. I’m a police
officer. I’m a peace officer.”