Former Soldier Arrested On Jan 6 Charges Also Shot Civilian In Iraq

(DailyVantage.com) – A former soldier has been arrested and charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer in connection to his participation in the January 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol.

Geismar, Louisiana native Edward Richmond Jr. was arrested on January 22 and is looking at felony charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, and civil disorder, as well trespassing into a restricted building or grounds while in possession of a deadly or dangerous weapon.

The 40-year-old Richmond was dishonorably discharged after being demoted and sentenced to three years confinement after being convicted of voluntary manslaughter for killing Muhamad Husain Kadir, a cowherder in Iraq in 2004. Richmond, who was in the Army from 2002 to 2008, killed the civilian during his deployment in the country, shooting Kadir in the back of his head while the victim was handcuffed. Richmond’s defense was that while he did not see Kadir holding a weapon, he thought the latter was attempting to attack another soldier. Richmond also said that he did not know that Kadir was handcuffed.

As a result of his crime, Richmond also lost his right to vote or carry a firearm. Bryce S. Dubee, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army, confirmed Richmond’s conviction.

Dubbed “Buff Lightyear” by online sleuths who tracked him and aided investigators in identifying him, Richmond also faces multiple misdemeanor charges for participating in the January 6 protests. An attorney for Richmond, John McLindon, said that his client will be pleading not guilty to all the charges laid against him.

According to the Department of Justice, body-cam footage as well as recordings from CCTV cameras in and around the Lower West Terrace Tunnel of the Capitol show Richmond hitting police officers “multiple times” with a baton during the riot. Authorities say that the Lower West Terrace Tunnel was where some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement officers occurred.

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