A new documentary featuring footage from January 6, 2021, details the development of the historic events at the U.S. Capitol throughout the day in several locations.
J6: A True Timeline uses video footage from protesters, police body cameras, and surveillance cameras. The documentary focuses on the progression of the protest with specific timelines. Videos detail the deaths of four protesters at the Capitol, frustration among Capitol police, and instances of violence from protesters and authorities.
The documentary was produced by Alan Fischer, who faces charges for his participation in the protest.
The timeline of the documentary shows that the first major breach of the Capitol grounds occurred at 12:54 p.m. Protesters pushed over a gate, which appeared to knock down an officer. This occurred while then-President Donald Trump was delivering an address to protesters that began at noon at the Ellipse, a park located between the Washington Monument and the White House. Videos show the speech ended at 1:12 p.m.
Police footage shows officers were ordered to begin firing on the crowd with pellet rounds at 1:06 p.m. One video shows a protester hit in the cheek. Explosive gas was deployed shortly after.
The narrator of the documentary claims police warnings to the crowd were not made clear enough to comply with local laws concerning the use of dispersal ammunition.
Footage shows the first entrance into the Capitol by a protester at 2:10 p.m.
Several videos are presented that show the death of Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, who was shot as she attempted to climb into the House Speaker’s lobby. Lt. Michael Byrd shot her in what appeared to be the neck. Videos show protesters in a panic after the shooting.
“She’s dead, she’s dead,” one person said.
“They just killed a girl,” another yelled.
The film shows footage of two other protesters who collapsed at the rally and later died. Another was trampled to death.
Bodycam footage of Capitol police detailed their decision over time to use increasingly heavier and more hazardous smoke and gas equipment in an attempt to disperse the crowd as they moved toward the Capitol.
“We can hit them with a lot of pain compliance, but you’re hitting innocent people,” one officer said at 2:19 p.m.
“We’re taking out one, and then 10 are getting angrier,” another officer responded. “We’re multiplying them by hitting them.”
Footage shows another officer misfiring a gas canister that forced police to move back and surrender the west plaza section outside the Capitol because they did not have gas masks.
Other officers who were forced to move back complained that their superiors were not properly prepared.
“They set us up,” another officer said later in the afternoon. “They didn’t have anybody right away. We ain’t got s**t.”
“I didn’t know we were coming up for this,” another officer said. “I would’ve made sure we had our masks. I didn’t realize how bad — they set us up to fail. There was no way we were winning that. And now you have at least four platoons that are just gassed out.”
Videos show police began to use tear gas at 5:10 p.m. to remove protesters from the Capitol. The National Guard arrived at 5:40 p.m., and the Capitol was declared secure at 8 p.m.
