As part of a six-month investigation, the @nytimes Visual Investigations team synchronized and mapped thousands of videos and police audio of U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6 to provide the most complete picture to date of what happened — and why. nytimes.com/video/us/polit…
Our investigation revealed at least eight locations where rioters breached the building, more than previously known. In some, the police battled rioters before being forcibly overwhelmed. In others, officers stepped aside.
We identified a security delay that may have cost a life. Rather than evacuate, members of the House resumed their work — meaning they were visible to the mob when it reached the doors of the chamber. Incensed and trying to reach them, Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed.
A common thread in our investigation is how rioters echoed former President Trump’s rhetoric. His attacks and tweets of his Vice President made Mike Pence a target of the mob, and his call to march on the Capitol was parroted throughout the day.
The crowd was a combustible mixture of radicalized individuals and organized groups. We analyzed several incidents where a move by an organized actor — for example, a Proud Boy identifying a weakness in the police line near the building’s scaffolding — set off a mob surge.
Synchronizing thousands of videos also allowed us to identify how a domino effect took hold of the mob that day. We tracked rioters from one side of the building around to the other, in an inciting incident that left the Capitol completely surrounded.
Law enforcement were effective in clearing the Capitol once they had appropriate numbers and crowd control weapons. It's evident how preparation could have helped stem the violence of the day. For more, watch the full investigation and read takeaways here: nytimes.com/2021/06/30/us/…
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