The Washington police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter who became a martyr in right-wing circles after dying during the Jan.6 Capitol riots, says he had to hide a time his name was leaked.
Lt. Michael Byrd, a 28-year veteran of the US Capitol Police, is black, and said he faced a torrent of racist abuse once his identity made its way onto conservative media sites.
Still, the officer defended his decision to shoot the woman, arguing that it was necessary to protect the roughly 80 members of Congress and their staff who were sheltering nearby.
"If they go through that door, they go to the chamber of the House and to the members of Congress," he told NBC News in an interview Thursday.
