The Standoff on January 6

A definitive moment from the attack on the Capitol in 2021, captured by four photographers.

Jan 07, 2023

Two years after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, the moment Officer Eugene Goodman faced down an angry mob endures. Four photographers captured the tense standoff - the most widely seen taken by Ashley Gilbertson for The New York Times Magazine.

*Photograph by Ashley Gilbertson/VII for The New York Times Magazine*

Gilbertson’s instantly-iconic photo of Officer Goodman made the rounds again in December 2021 after multiple (obviously) fake TIME magazine “Person of the Year” covers went viral.

Astro Jester™ @AstroJester

Fixed it!

Derrick Johnson @DerrickNAACP

NAACP Person Of The Year goes to Eugene Goodman, who defended democracy during the January 6th #Insurrection! @TIME, here’s the mock up for next year.

NAACP @NAACP

Dear Senators, This is what #DefendingDemocracy truly looks like. Signed, The People https://t.co/ujP4bT0zUF

Gilbertson’s photo (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Reporting) was also the inspiration for artwork, including this drawing by Jon Lion:

Jon Lion Fine Art @jonlionfineart2

2 years… I hope my Eugene Goodman drawing inspires you to remember the heroes #January6th

Ironically, Officer Goodman did make the cover of TIME, in this black and white photo taken from a slightly different angle by Christopher Lee. TIME named the photo one of the best of 2021. Indeed.

Here’s the uncropped version of Lee's photo. The bust of sculptor Thomas Crawford looming on the right adds an interesting, historical layer to the photo (Crawford sculpted the Statue of Freedom on top of the Capitol dome). Photographer Mark Peterson is on the left.

This is the photo Mark Peterson shot of the standoff. Peterson’s photos from that day, made in his unmistakable hard-flash, high-contrast black and white style, were published by The New York Times (in the Opinion section).

The renowned war photographer Ron Haviv was also there and shot this intense photo (Haviv’s photos from January 6 were published by The New Republic.) That's Peterson holding the camera on the left (that thing on top of his camera is a wireless flash trigger).

In the background, behind Officer Goodman, you can see Huffington Post reporter Igor Bobic, filming with his iPhone.

Bobic captured this incredible video of Officer Goodman facing down the mob, then pursued up the East Grand Staircase, near the Senate Chamber. The video has over 11.2 million views.

Igor Bobic @igorbobic

Here’s the scary moment when protesters initially got into the building from the first floor and made their way outside Senate chamber.

In the following still from Bobic’s video, you can see Gilbertson taking his now-iconic photo of Officer Goodman, standing behind Haviv and Peterson with camera held high, Hail Mary style.

Douglas Jensen, 43, of Des Moines, Iowa, can be seen facing off against Officer Goodman. Jensen, who led the mob of protestors in pursuit of Officer Goodman, was found guilty of felony charges and sentenced to five years.

Jensen thought he was storming the White House.

Ryan J. Reilly @ryanjreilly

QAnon believer and Jan. 6 defendant Douglas Jensen: “This is me, touching the fucking White House.” NARRATOR: He was not, in fact, touching the fucking White House. One of the latest Jan. 6 videos released by the feds this evening:

Another video of the standoff surfaced on Parler and was used as evidence in the January 6th Hearings. ProPublica published this uncredited, annotated version on YouTube.

The video was shot by a Massachusetts pizza delivery driver named Brian McCreary, who pled guilty to “Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds” and was sentenced to 3 years of probation.

The end of the standoff was captured by photographer Mike Theiler, working for Reuters. Haviv and Lee are in the background, behind the protestor.

The painting is of Henry Clay, former Speaker of the House known as "The Great Compromiser."

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