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Washington DC police have not released any further details about the deaths of three people due to “medical emergencies” during the riots in the US Capitol on Wednesday (NZT Thursday).
Additionally, US Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt was killed by a gunshot after being hit while attempting to scale a barricaded door. A police officer also died from injuries sustained in the riot.
However, the “medical emergency” deaths were for Rosanne Boyland, 34, of Kennesaw, Georgia, Kevin Greeson, 55, of Athens, Alabama, and Benjamin Philips, 50, of Ringtown, Pennsylvania.
Family members of two of the three said they had not come to Washington expecting to participate or be caught up in the violence.
But the social media posts of one advocated for people to take up arms, and the posts of another showed a belief in false accusations of election fraud spread by US President Donald Trump and his allies.
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* Four people were killed when pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol.
Keith haupt
Ben Philips displays two of his Trump kangaroos in September 2020. The founder of the website Trumperoo was one of the people who died in a medical emergency during the assault on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Greeson’s wife, Kristi Greeson, said her husband’s only goal was to show support for Trump.
“He was not there to participate in acts of violence or riots, nor did he tolerate such actions,” he said in a statement on behalf of his family.
Her husband, who worked as a salesman in the steel and aluminum industry, “had a history of high blood pressure and, amidst the excitement, he suffered a heart attack,” she added.
But Greeson appeared to have an account on the right-wing social media site Parler full of recent violent and obscene posts, fueled by misinformation spread by right-wing radio host Mark Levin, the Proud Boys and others.
In a post shortly after Election Day, the account read: “Obama should be executed!”
Another November post from the account featured a photo of Greeson posing with a long pistol in each hand and two pistols tucked into his belt.
Supplied
Kevin Greeson was one of three people who died of a “medical emergency” during the riots in the United States Capitol.
Boyland’s family did not respond to messages seeking comment. But a Facebook page belonging to Rosanne Boyland in Kennesaw features multiple pro-Trump posts and includes a false claim that District Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, ordered hotels and other businesses closed ahead of Wednesday’s rally.
“For all Patriots heading to DC, bring food, water, blankets, EXTRA supplies and have a plan to sleep in,” reads the January 3 post. The page also expresses anger at the results of the presidential elections.
Philips, 50, from Pennsylvania, was a computer programmer and a fervent Trump supporter.
He had helped organize transportation for dozens of people traveling from Pennsylvania to the District, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday, but after arriving in the city on Wednesday, he left the group.
When it came time to drive home, people who had ridden with him said they received a call from district police informing them that Philips had suffered a stroke and died at George Washington University Hospital. Investigator reported.
Nicole Mun of Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania, said The Washington Post that she was married to Philips from 1999 to 2004 but had limited contact with him since their divorce. His two children are teenagers.
“As my children are grieving and processing yesterday’s shocking events, I respectfully request privacy,” he said.
Philips created several pro-Trump social media sites, including “Trumparoo,” where people could advertise products and interact with other manufacturers.
“It seems like the first day of the rest of our lives,” Philips told a Investigator reporter while traveling to DC on Wednesday morning.
“They should name this year Zero because something will happen.”
