A Trump supporter who prosecutors say fired a gun into the air on Capitol grounds as a mob stormed the constructing on Jan. 6, 2021, was charged Friday with weapons offenses to fireplace, trespass and intervene with legislation enforcement officers throughout a civil disturbance. .
The person, John Banuelos, fired a minimum of two photographs into the air whereas standing above the gang on scaffolding on the west facet of the Capitol, in keeping with a legal criticism unsealed in Federal District Courtroom in Washington. It doesn’t seem that Mr. Banuelos entered the Capitol. However earlier than the photographs have been fired, prosecutors say, he posed for a photograph carrying a “Trump 2020” cowboy hat and displaying off a gun tucked into his waistband.
Some of the persistent lies concerning the Capitol assault — usually perpetrated by Republican politicians and right-wing media figures — is that not one of the lots of of rioters who stormed the constructing had weapons. On Thursday night time, former President Donald J. Trump repeated the false declare on social media whereas responding to remarks on January 6 that President Biden had made throughout his State of the Union handle .
“The so-called 'Insurgents' he’s speaking about had no weapons,” Mr. Trump wrote. “They only had a rigged Election.”
However the Justice Division's sprawling investigation of Jan. 6 revealed that many individuals within the Capitol have been carrying firearms that day. In all, greater than 1,300 rioters have been charged in reference to the assault and arrests proceed virtually day by day.
Man Wesley Reffitt, a Texas militiaman, carried a gun on his hip when he led a cost of rioters up a staircase on the west facet of the Capitol, in keeping with testimony at his trial – the primary of dozens to happen in Washington related with the occasions of January 6. Mr. Reffitt was finally convicted of a gun cost and different crimes and was sentenced to greater than seven years in jail.
Among the many different rioters who carried firearms on Jan. 6 have been Christopher Alberts, a former member of the Virginia Nationwide Guard who charged police outdoors the Capitol with a loaded 9-millimeter handgun, prosecutors stated. Mr. Alberts was convicted of a number of crimes and sentenced to seven years in jail.
A revolutionary named Mark Mazza introduced two weapons to the Capitol — a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun and a Taurus revolver loaded with shotgun shells and hollow-point bullets, prosecutors say. Mr. Mazza was sentenced to 5 years in jail.
Prosecutors didn’t establish what sort of gun Mr. Banuelos was carrying on Jan. 6, however stated of their criticism that he was not licensed to have it. Among the many prices he faces are carrying and discharging a firearm within the grounds of the Capitol.
After firing the photographs, prosecutors stated, Mr. Banuelos put the gun again in his waistband, obtained out of the armory and joined the gang.
