Former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn speaks about his experience during the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack at a press conference Wednesday, May 29, 2024. Representative Dina Titus (D-NV 1st District) stands at center.
Thursday, May 30, 2024 | 2 a.m.
Tucked away in his coat pocket, former U.S. Capitol Sgt. Aquilino Gonell carries a small glass box with a metal shard in it.
The shard, Gonell says, is from a door at the Capitol that was destroyed during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, where he held the line as rioters loyal to former President Donald Trump broke in and attacked police.
That small fragment is a constant reminder for Gonell of the attacks, but it isn’t the only one he carries: the aftermath of being punched, bitten, trampled and struck with his own baton required two surgeries, forced him to retire and gave him PTSD.
“I have that reminder for the rest of my life, with the injuries I sustained, physical and mental injury,” Gonell said Wednesday in Las Vegas, where he detailed the attacks at an event for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign. “This is something that you guys have to remember: This is what nearly cost me my life — defending that entrance almost cost me my life.”
People protesting the certification of Biden’s election victory over then-President Donald Trump tore down metal barricades outside the Capitol and were met by outnumbered Capitol Police officers in riot gear.
Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, were killed in the violence unleashed after a rally by Trump, who was later impeached for inciting an insurrection.
Hundreds of protesters pushed past the officers and made their way into the Capitol, parading and hollering through the halls, and entering the Senate chamber and lawmakers’ offices.
Gonell was joined in Las Vegas by fellow Capitol Officer Harry Dunn, who also threw his support behind Biden in a likely rematch with Trump in November. The appearance was the first leg of a nationwide tour in election battleground states to campaign for Biden, which the two said is part of a larger fight to support democracy.
“Our fight didn’t just end on Jan. 6,” Dunn said. “We’re doing this because we love this country. We’re Americans, we believe in democracy, we believe in decency, we believe in the Constitution, we believe in Joe Biden.”
Dunn, who was stationed outside then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the riot, was one of four officers who testified at a hearing conducted by the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Dunn on Wednesday briefly recounted the horror during the riot, and attributed much of the responsibility of the resulting chaos and violence to Trump.
“His obsessive quest for power is the reason violent insurrectionists assaulted me and my colleagues on that day,” Dunn said. “He called the men and women who died serving protecting this country ‘suckers and losers.’ ”
Over 1,200 people have been arrested for their involvement in the riot, including eight Nevadans, with the latest having been arrested in early May by the FBI. The Nevada arrests include Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right anti-government group Oath Keepers and a former UNLV student. Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding and tampering with documents and proceedings.
Gonell said it was hypocritical of Trump backers who claim they are supporters of law enforcement to not be impacted by the actions of insurrectionists. They are echoing Trump, who has referred to those arrested for their involvement in the riots as “hostages.”
“If you’re going to back the blue, law and order, the rule of law, make sure you back us every single time, not just when it’s convenient for you,” Gonell said. “You can’t claim to support the rule of law, and at the same time, support those who tried to upend our democracy.”
Trump downplaying what occurred is frustrating to the officers because of the violence they were thrust into that day defending democracy, they said. They emphasized the need for politicians to disavow what happened.
“If it can happen in Washington, it could happen in Carson City, and it could happen in state capitals around the country,” said U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., who attended Wednesday’s campaign event.
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