Congress to Honor 2nd Slain Officer    04/13 06:09

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Slain U.S. Capitol Police Officer William "Billy" Evans 
will lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday during the second such 
memorial ceremony this year for a force that has edged close to crisis in the 
wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

   President Joe Biden and congressional leaders will attend a midday ceremony 
for Evans, 41, who was killed April 2 when a vehicle rammed into him and 
another officer at a barricade just 100 yards (91 meters) from the Senate side 
of the Capitol. The driver, Noah Green, 25, 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' death came just three months after a violent mob of 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 only six Capitol Police officers who have been 
killed in the line of duty in the force's nearly 200-year history, according to 
the department. Another officer, Howard Liebengood, died by suicide in the days 
after Jan. 6.

   The three deaths in as many months have taken an unbearable 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 that day, 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 have 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. "The loss of Officer Evans is yet another 
stark reminder of what our brothers and sisters in uniform risk every day to 
protect us. The honor of lying in state under the Capitol dome is befitting of 
this American hero."

   Lawmakers, family and members of the police force will be invited to pay 
their respects to Evans after the ceremony with Biden and congressional 
leaders. He will be only the sixth person to lie in honor in the Capitol 
Rotunda, a designation for those who are not elected officials, judges or 
military leaders.

   Evans, who had two young children, was an 18-year veteran of the force. He 
was remembered by colleagues and friends as a man with a sense of humor who 
loved baseball and golf.

   Members of his family said in a statement through the police earlier this 
month that most important in his life were his two children, Logan and Abigail.

   "His most cherished moments were those spent with them -- building with 
Lego, having lightsaber duels, playing board games, doing arts and crafts, and 
recently finishing the Harry Potter series," the family said. "He was always so 
eager to show how proud he was of everything they did."

   The family said Evans was proud of his job and his friendship with 
colleagues near the "North Barricade" of the Capitol complex was one of the 
best parts of it.

   "We hold them in our hearts, as we know they acutely share our grief," they 
said.

   Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said on the Senate floor Monday evening that Evans 
was a "familiar and friendly face" at that barricade where he died, a gate that 
is frequently used by senators and staff. Durbin said the three deaths this 
year are an "incredible hardship" for the department and Congress owes them a 
debt that can never be repaid.

   "Every day it is incumbent on those of us who work in this building to 
remember this officer, and to thank him, and the men and women of the U.S. 
Capitol Police who have given so much to keep us safe," Durbin said.

   Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., who represented Liebengood and has gotten to 
know his family since his suicide, has worked to find more mental health 
resources for the Capitol Police as they have worked extra shifts and dealt 
with the trauma of losing their colleagues. She said the current pace for the 
force is unsustainable.

   "We've lost officers to this level of stress and as we approach the second 
laying in honor of a Capitol police officer this year, I fear an exodus is 
approaching if we don't prioritize the mental and physical health of our 
Capitol police officers," Wexton said.