WASHINGTON (AP) — A Capitol police officer hailed as a hero for his actions during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol is accompanying Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at the inauguration of Harris and President-elect Joe Biden.
Officer Eugene Goodman, a veteran of the 101st Airborne Division, confronted the insurrectionists and led them away from Senate chambers moments after Vice President Mike Pence was escorted from the Senate chamber as the rioters stormed the Capitol.
Goodman is a Black man and was facing an overwhelmingly white mob. He is the only officer seen for a full minute on widely circulated footage captured by a news reporter. Goodman stands in front of the rioters and walks backward as the group follows him to a second-floor hallway, where other officers finally assist him.
A police spokeswoman says Goodman’s plainclothes assignment to accompany Harris “is a ceremonial role.″
All of us who served in the @101stAASLTDIV can take pride in our brother who showed the world what the true Band of Brothers meant. He stood in the breach. He was surrounded and didn't blink. So very proud to know we both wore that Screaming Eagle patch. Humbled at his bravery. https://t.co/5tx187z5yD
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) January 20, 2021
We saw you then, and we see you now, Eugene.
And you continue to make us proud. https://t.co/ienv4DJwBg
— 101st Airborne Div. (@101stAASLTDIV) January 20, 2021