Capitol rioter who yelled ‘this is our house’ dies in motorbike crash while awaiting trial

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A Texas man who allegedly stormed the US Capitol declaring “this is our house, this is our country” was killed in a motorcycle crash while awaiting trial, according to police and prosecutors.

Joseph Cable Barnes, who was facing charges of obstruction of an official proceeding, was hit by a car in Austin after running a red light at the intersection of the Capital of Texas Highway and Westbank Drive in June.

The Austin Police Department said Mr Barnes was pronounced dead at the scene after the motorcycle he was riding collided with a Toyota Avalon on 12 June. Prosecutors on Tuesday filed a motion to drop the charges following his death about three weeks ago.

Mr Barnes, 35, was identified by three witnesses as the person seen in video footage published by ITV News telling an interviewer, “This is our house. This is our country. This is our country”, according to the Department of Justice.

“While yelling, Barnes is gesturing forcefully, pointing downward as if to identify the Capitol and the country’,” a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent wrote in arrest documents.

One of the witnesses told the FBI they were students together at Anderson High School in Austin, Texas. Another witness identified him as a real estate agent, pointing to a listing on the company of Jones Lang LaSalle naming him as vice president of the company’s Austin branch. A company spokesperson told The Austin American-Statesman in February that he no longer worked at the company.

While Mr Barnes died on the morning of 12 June about 8.14 am, his death was not widely recognized until Acting United States Attorney Channing D Phillips filed the motion to abate his prosecution, as first reported by NBC4 Washington investigative reporter Scott MacFarlane

In addition to obstruction of an official proceeding, Mr Barnes also faced charges related to entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct, and parading, demonstrating or picketing.

He entered a plea of not guilty on 9 March, according to motions filed with the court, while notice of a defence attorney had been filed just five days before his death.