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Capitol rioter wearing ‘Keep America Great’ sweatshirt turned in by his own family

Grayson Sherrill was seen in multiple images during riot on 6 January

James Crump
Tuesday 02 March 2021 14:26 GMT
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Senate ovation for Capitol officer who held back mob

A North Carolina man who was pictured wearing a “Keep America Great” hoodie during the Capitol riots, has been arrested after being turned in by his own family members.

Grayson Sherrill, of Cherryville in northwestern North Carolina, was captured in several photographs inside the US Capitol on 6 January, alongside a mob of pro-Trump supporters who had breached the building.

Five people died and several more were injured on that day, as House members barricaded themselves inside their offices to hide from the rioters.

Following the insurrection, the FBI released images of hundreds of suspects, including Mr Sherrill, as they asked the public for help in identifying those who took part in the siege.

In the images released, Mr Sherrill was seen inside multiple parts of the Capitol wearing a “Keep America Great” sweatshirt in reference to Donald Trump, while carrying an object that resembled a cane.

Members of Mr Sherrill’s family recognised him from the photos taken at the riots and turned him in, according to a recently unsealed criminal complaint.

One of the family members told the authorities that Mr Sherrill’s father texted another relative a picture of him standing next to a statue of former President Dwight D Eisenhower inside the Capitol.

While a second family member told the FBI that Mr Sherrill’s father messaged them about a news report that images of his son were featured in.

The family members then informed the FBI that they believed that Mr Sherrill was the man seen in the pro-Trump sweatshirt.

Mr Sherrill, alongside more than 300 others, was then arrested by the FBI and was later charged with knowingly entering and remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.

He was also charged with knowingly engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted area and violent and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Mr Sherrill appeared in federal court in Charlotte on Monday, and will be transferred to Washington, DC, for further appearances.

The US public have been crucial in helping the FBI identify the suspects that have been arrested so far in connection to the Capitol riots.

Last month, acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen said that many of the more than 140,000 tips that the FBI have received about the insurrection are “notably from friends, co-workers and other acquaintances”.

To help with the search, the FBI recently set up a new webpage for the public to help identify those that law enforcement have not yet been able to find.

The agency is looking for information on anyone who committed “alleged criminal violations, such as destruction of property, assaulting law enforcement personnel, targeting members of the media for assault, and other unlawful conduct.”

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