WASHINGTON — A military veteran who shot and killed a handcuffed civilian in Iraq nearly 20 years ago was ordered jailed Tuesday on charges that he used a metal baton to assault police officers during a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Chief Judge James Boasberg agreed with prosecutors that Edward Richmond Jr., 40, of Geismar, Louisiana, is a danger to the community. Richmond initially was released after his Jan. 22 arrest.
FBI agents found an AR-15 assault rifle in Richmond’s closet when they searched his Louisiana home. Richmond is prohibited from possessing firearms after his 2004 manslaughter conviction for fatally shooting an Iraqi cow herder in the head while serving in the U.S. Army.
“The government is concerned that, under growing pressure, he may snap again,” a prosecutor wrote in a court filing.
The judge described Richmond’s conduct at the Capitol on Jan. 6 as “pretty troubling to me.”
The prosecutor said Richmond was trying to live “off the grid” with untraceable income before his arrest on charges including civil disorder and assaulting police with a dangerous weapon. But the judge said he didn’t view Richmond as a flight risk, as prosecutors argued.
Last Wednesday, a federal magistrate judge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ordered Richmond’s release from custody. Prosecutors persuaded Boasberg to overrule the magistrate’s decision.
The judge ordered Richmond to surrender to the U.S. Marshals…