Texas man turns himself in, faces charges connected to U.S. Capitol riot
WACO, Texas - A Texas man has been charged in connection with the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which resulted in five deaths and over 100 arrests.
39-year-old Christopher Ray Grider of Eddy has been charged with violating three U.S. Codes: 18 U.S. Code § 1361 - willful injury or depredation of U.S. property, 18 U.S.C. 1752(a)(1), (b) - knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and 40 U.S.C. 5104(e)(2) - violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds.
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A criminal complaint filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia states that in an interview with a Waco-area television station, Grider admitted to being inside the Capitol building within several feet from where Ashli Babbit was shot outside the Speaker's Lobby.
A screenshot of a video showing Christopher Ray Grider (pictured with yellow scarf) inside the U.S. Capitol. (FBI)
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Babbit, a 14-year Air Force veteran from San Diego, was later pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
A screenshot of a video showing Christopher Ray Grider (pictured with yellow scarf) inside the U.S. Capitol. (FBI)
The complaint states that Grider said on camera, "The president asked people to come and show their support I feel like it’s the least that we can do, it’s kind of why I came from central Texas all the way to DC." The story also included video introduced and captioned as "Courtesy: Chris Grider" which showed the crowds outside the Capitol and the moments after the shooting.
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A screenshot of a video showing Christopher Ray Grider (pictured with yellow scarf and red hat and holding a black helmet) inside the U.S. Capitol. (FBI)
The complaint says that after the segment aired, law enforcement gathered video from open sources that corroborated that Grider was in the Capitol on Jan. 6, including matching clothing items.
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A screenshot of a video showing Christopher Ray Grider (pictured with yellow scarf) inside the U.S. Capitol. (FBI)
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The complaint also contains screenshots of Grider moving through the Capitol building to the Speaker's Lobby, and even handing a helmet to a man attempting to break a glass window into the House chambers.
The man then used the helmet to break the glass doors that Babbit eventually attempted to jump through before she was shot by an officer on the other side of the door, says the complaint.
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A screenshot of a video showing Christopher Ray Grider (pictured with yellow scarf) inside the U.S. Capitol. (FBI)
According to the FBI, he turned himself in Thursday afternoon to the San Antonio FBI at the Austin Resident Agency Office and remains in federal custody at this time. An initial court appearance is scheduled for Friday morning.
On Jan. 6, the pro-Trump mob breached the U.S. Capitol building, breaking windows, leveling barriers, scaling walls and violently clashing with police. Rioters took over the presiding officer’s chair in the Senate, the offices of the House speaker, and the Senate dais, where one yelled, "Trump won that election." Five people died as a result of the chaos, including Babbit and Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.