Man From Georgia Arrested After Entering US Capitol Killed Himself

A Capitol Police officer stands with members of the National Guard behind a crowd control fence surrounding Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 7, 2021. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

A man who was arrested after entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in Washington was found dead in Georgia several days later.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner said an autopsy performed on Christopher Stanton Georgia, 53, showed he died on Jan. 9 from a gunshot wound to the chest. The manner of death, according to the autopsy, was suicide.

According to arrest records, Georgia was booked by Washington police officers for a curfew violation and unlawful entry on Jan. 6, after dozens of protesters breached the Capitol building during a joint session of Congress.

A court filing from prosecutors said that Georgia “without lawful authority, did enter and attempt to enter certain public property, that is, the United States Capitol Ground, against the will of the United States Capitol Police.” Georgia and other men ignored warnings about dispersing and going inside when they were spotted later Wednesday outside in violation of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s curfew, according to another filing.

Georgia pleaded not guilty to the charges on Jan. 7. He was released pending a trial. His court-appointed attorney filed an initial discovery motion the following day, asking for the names and contact information of any witnesses. “Such witnesses will likely have some information that is either directly exculpatory for my client or diminishes the witnesses’ own credibility and reliability,” she wrote. She also asked for records concerning 911 calls and similar recordings in connection with the Capitol attack and Georgia’s arrest, as well as photographs from the alleged crime scene.

A group of protesters enter the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The attorney didn’t respond to a request for comment.

According to documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Georgia’s wife called 911 on Jan. 9. She told authorities that there was “blood everywhere” and his body was in the basement in the home at which they live. Police officers described the family as “extremely distressed” in a police report.

Unlawful entry is a misdemeanor that carries a jail term of up to 6 months and a possible fine. A curfew violation brings a fine of up to $500 or community service.

Steven D'Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office of the FBI, told reporters on Tuesday that the agency has opened over 160 case files in its probe of the Capitol breach, “and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Even if you’ve left D.C., agents from our local field offices will be knocking on your door if we find out that you were part of the criminal activity at the Capitol,” he said. “But before we do this, this is your opportunity to come forward, as several individuals who were involved in Wednesday’s riots have done, to volunteer about their participation.”