Dunn's testimony given to the House select committee investigating the Capitol riots described the racism and abuse he endured.
Officer Harry Dunn was a 13-year veteran of the force when he found himself defending the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection on January 6, 2021, but he said the events he witnessed that day were unlike any he had seen before.
Before I begin, I'd like to take a moment of my time to ask for a moment of silence for my fallen colleague, Officer Brian Sicknick, who died from injuries he sustained in the line of duty defending the Capitol of our beloved democracy. Thank you. Seeing that message caused me concern. To be sure looking back now, it seemed to foreshadow what happened later. At the time though, we had not received any threat warnings from our chain of command. I had no independent reason to believe that violence was headed our way.
Now, it was obvious that there was a direct threat to the Capitol. I quickly put on a steel chest plate, which weighs approximately 20 pounds, and carrying my M4 rifle, sprinted around the north side of the Capitol to the West Terrace and the railing of the inaugural stage, where I had a broad view of what was going on. I was stunned by what I saw.
At the top of the stairs, I confronted a group of insurrectionists, warning them, 'Do not go down those steps.' One of them shouted, 'Keep moving, patriots.' Another displayed what looked like a law enforcement badge, and told me, 'We're doing this for you.' One of the invaders approached me like he was going to try to get past me and head down the stairs. I hit him, knocking him down.