WASHINGTON — A man who was convicted of manslaughter for killing a civilian while he was deployed in Iraq nearly 20 years ago has been arrested and charged with assaulting law enforcement officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Edward Richmond Jr., 40, who lives in Geismar, Louisiana, was arrested in Baton Rouge on Monday morning, according to the Justice Department. He faces felony charges of civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, according to court documents.
According to the criminal complaint, photos show Richmond using a baton to attack law enforcement officers in the lower west tunnel of the Capitol, where some of the most violent attacks on Jan. 6, 2021, took place.
Online “sedition hunters” aided in identifying images of Richmond that were cited by the FBI. In its criminal complaint, the Justice Department said Richmond "wore a black helmet, goggles, shoulder pads, an orange two-way radio, and a Louisiana State Flag patch on his chest during the attack." The outfit led online sleuths to dub him "Buff Lightyear."
When he was deployed in Iraq, Richmond shot a cowherder named Muhamad Husain Kadir in the back of his head on Feb. 28, 2004, the Army said at the time, according to multiple news accounts. Richmond was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, according to a 2006 article in The Washington Post, and sentenced to three years, with a demotion in rank and a dishonorable discharge. His father had sought to clear his son's name, according to the Post.
Reached by phone Monday, Edward Richmond Sr., who goes by "Eddie," referred NBC News to an attorney for his son. The attorney, John McLindon, said his client approached him about a year ago. McLindon suspects that the government will seek his client’s pretrial detention at a hearing Tuesday. Richmond will plead not guilty, McLindon said.
The man the FBI now identifies as the younger Richmond had been #182 on its Capitol Violence webpage, its "most wanted" list for Jan. 6 offenders. More than 1,200 people have been arrested in connection with Jan. 6 so far, and the Justice Department has secured about 900 convictions. Hundreds of additional Jan. 6 participants have been identified by online sleuths but not arrested.
