How pro-Trump riot Rosanne Boyland died in attacks on Capitol Hill



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Rosanne Boyland, a 34-year-old Trump supporter from Georgia who died in the attack on the Capitol on Jan.6, appears to have been killed in a run over by fellow rioters as they attempted to fight through a police line, according to videos edited by the Times.

Although the videos have circulated widely, Ms Boyland’s presence has gone unnoticed there until now, and the manner of her death was previously unclear. Videos show her body on the ground just outside a door on the west side of the Capitol which was the scene of some of the worst violence of the day.

Her clothes and the strap of her backpack in the videos match those she was seen wearing in a photo of herself taken earlier today, and two witnesses, one of whom tried to help her , have given similar accounts of his death.

Here’s how the fatal rush unfolded.

At around 2:30 p.m., rioters on the west side of the Capitol forced their way through the lines of Metropolitan Police officers and invaded a promenade on the second level. There, they made their way to a gate and tunnel traditionally used by Presidents as they emerge for their inauguration, hoping to break through the Capitol.

As soon as the crowd entered the tunnel, they were greeted by a line of riot police. Even when they started pushing, a rioter could be heard over the video warning: “Stop pushing, someone will get hurt.”

In less than half an hour, the hall was filled with rioters. At around 2:50 p.m., freelance photojournalist Jon Farina walked in and began filming.

The mob, which can be seen massed together in a dangerous crush, attacked officers and attempted to use the weight of their combined bodies to push the officers back, trapping many in the process. Both sides filled the air with irritating chemical sprays which they shot back and forth.

The battle inside continued for another hour, as the new arrivals eagerly joined the line of rioters rushing down the crowded hallway to replace those injured or tired. Among the new arrivals, although not visible on video, were Ms Boyland and her friend Justin Winchell, who had accompanied her to the protest.

At 4:09 p.m., the crowd can be seen pushing again through the doorway. Less than a minute later, the police pushed back and the crowd can be seen tumbling out of the door and down the steps. Mr. Winchell, in a bright blue hooded sweatshirt, is barely visible at the top of the steps.

For the next seven minutes, he can be seen pushing people away, appearing to search for Ms Boyland as rioters continue to tumble out of the door. There is a lull in the fighting and the crowd chants “I can’t breathe!” – a rallying cry of the Black Lives Matter protests.

It is not clear from the videos whether Ms Boyland was alive at the time, but two rioters – one brandishing a stick and the other a crutch – launched a new attack on police at 4:17 p.m., returning virtually impossible for officers to give her any help, if they could notice her.

Boyland is seen in a video lying on her side in front of the door, her black hooded sweatshirt, her arm and face partially visible, as men clash with police above her.

In the chaos, two men spotted Ms Boyland on the ground and dragged her away from the door.

The men put Ms. Boyland on the steps and attempted to resuscitate her. At least two people can be seen on the video providing CPR. At the top of the steps, another man, dressed in a purple jacket, can be seen negotiating with the police so the rioters can get help from Ms Boyland.

About two and a half minutes after being pulled away from the door, the men returned Ms Boyland to the police line, even as other rioters continued to throw sticks and other objects at the officers.

At least two people present during the brawl at the gate recounted on video how they saw a trampled woman in the crowd.

A man, who broadcasts live as Villain Report, said in a YouTube video posted to his channel that he saw a woman collapse from suffocation inside the tunnel. The man said he tried to feel the woman’s pulse after she was dragged away from the door, but found nothing. A review of the videos by The Times confirmed that he was among the men surrounding Boyland’s body.

“By the time they decided to take the person and give it to a police officer, her lips were blue and blood was flowing from her nose,” he said on the video. “I don’t think this person will be resurrected.”

In another video, a rioter identified as Edward Jacob Lang, 25, of Tusten, New York, said he also saw a woman being trampled in the tunnel.

In social media posts, Lang blamed the police for the stampede.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, paramedics who responded to a call regarding a medical emergency at the Capitol arrived to find two Capitol Police officers in the rotunda performing CPR on Ms Boyland, who police said had collapsed during the demonstration. Metropolitan Police declined to confirm whether the woman in the videos was Ms Boyland, but said she was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 6:09 p.m. The Washington, DC chief medical examiner said the Boyland’s cause and manner of death were “pending.”

Mr. Winchell did not respond to a request for comment. After the story was first published, Ms Boyland’s sister told a Times reporter via text message that she was happy to have answers, but now found herself “with more questions”, such as why her sister was so close to violence.

The day after Ms Boyland died, her brother-in-law told reporters he held President Trump responsible.

“Rosanne was really passionate about her beliefs, like a lot of people are,” he says. “I never tried to be a political person, but it is my personal belief that the president’s words sparked a riot that killed four of his biggest fans last night.

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contribution to reports. Christina kelso contribution to production.

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