The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Biden, lawmarkers honor slain Capitol Polices officer
Slain U.S. Capitol Police Officer William “Billy” Evans was lauded for his dedication to country, love for his job and for a mischievous sense of humor as President Joe Biden and congressional leaders honored him during a memorial service Tuesday.
What happened
Evans is lying in honor in the United States Capitol Rotunda in a special tribute to the fallen officer. He was killed earlier this month in an attack near the Senate side of the Capitol building, where he and another officer were manning a barricade.
Biden, looking intently upon Evans’ family as he spoke, said he didn’t know Evans personally but he came to know people just like him growing up and that they were incapable of saying no when they were needed.
“He was defined by his dignity, his decency, his loyalty and his courage,” Biden said.
Biden, who noted that he has buried two of his children, said his prayer for the family was that one day the memory of Evans would bring a smile before it brings a tear to their eye.
“I promise you it’s going to come. It just takes a while. It takes a while, but when it comes, you’ll know because he’s still with you. He’s still in your heart,” Biden said.
How it happened
Evans, 41, and another officer were struck on April 2 by a car driven by Noah Green, 25, who came out of the car with a knife and was shot to death by police. Investigators believe Green had been delusional and increasingly having suicidal thoughts.
Evans’ casket was placed in the Capitol Rotunda for the second such memorial ceremony this year for a force that has edged close to crisis in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
Members of the National Guard lined the street and
saluted as the hearse carrying Evans’ flag-draped casket entered the Capitol complex. His former colleagues gathered on the Capitol’s East Plaza Front while church bells rang in the distance. His family, including his two children, gathered to watch as his casket was carried up the Capitol steps.
Evans’ death came just three months after a violent mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters blew past security barricades and attacked the Capitol, injuring dozens of Capitol Police officers. Officer Brian Sicknick died after engaging with the rioters, though officials do not yet know exactly what caused his death. Two men have been arrested and charged with assaulting him with bear spray.
Sicknick and Evans are two of six Capitol Police officers who have been killed in the line of duty in the force’s nearly 200year history, according to the department. Another officer, Howard Liebengood, died by suicide in the days after Jan. 6.
What it means
The three deaths in as many months have taken a toll on the force, which has been overworked and understaffed as leaders try to figure out how to move forward after the mistakes of Jan. 6. The Capitol Police were massively unprepared for the hundreds of violent Trump supporters who pushed past them, injuring them as they broke into the building. In the weeks and months since, top leaders have resigned and many have considered leaving the department. Officials brought in trauma therapists, and lawmakers are considering what more they can do.
“This is a group of men and women who’ve been through an overwhelming amount of trauma over the last few months,” said Rep. Tim Ryan, D-ohio, who heads a spending committee that oversees the Capitol Police and has been investigating the response to the insurrection.