Officer describes mob during Capitol siege: ‘Kill him with his own gun’

D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone described what he encountered when he engaged the mob that sieged the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday, saying he heard someone screaming to “kill him” with his own gun.

Fanone was one of several officers who spoke to CNN in interviews shared by the network Thursday. He described what it was like to go up against the mob that day, saying he was stripped of his gear, his spare ammunition, had his police radio ripped off his chest and had his badge stolen.

“Some guys started getting a hold of my gun and they were screaming out, ‘Kill him with his own gun,’ ” Fanone said.

Fanone, a narcotic detective, told CNN that he raced to the Capitol with his partners to help officers who were being pushed back by rioters. At one point, he said he thought about using deadly force because he was overpowered by the mob but decided against it, thinking he would be overpowered again.

“So, the other option I thought of was to try to appeal to somebody’s humanity. And I just remember yelling out that I have kids. And it seemed to work,” he told the news outlet.

He said a group within the rioters protected him until help arrived. Of that group, Fanone said, “Thank you … but f— you for being there.”

Five people died as a result of the riot — including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died after getting hit in the head with a fire extinguisher.

The Justice Department has charged more than 70 people in the days following the riot, and the FBI has opened investigations into more than 170 people. CNN notes that investigators are also looking into claims that there was some level of planning involved among the rioters.

In the days since the riot, hundreds of National Guardsmen have flooded Washington, D.C., with about 20,000 expected to be in the city for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.

Earlier this week, President Trump was impeached by the House for a second time for his role in inciting the violence. Ten Republicans joined Democrats in the historic vote.