WASHINGTON D.C. — Four police officers have given powerful testimonies about their experiences to the U.S. House of Representatives investigatory committee established to investigate the January 6 Capitol insurrection, according to Reuters.


The officers provided examples of violence they experienced themselves and witnessed first-hand, with one of them saying he heard rioters chant that they wanted to kill him with his own gun, according to CNN.


Another officer, who is black, recalled repeated instances of racism, describing how one woman had called him the N-word, which prompted other rioters to do the same.


According to the BBC, on the day of the insurrection, rioters broke past police lines and got within 100 feet or 30 meters of Vice President Mike Pence, whom they said they wanted hanged. One rioter was shot dead by security forces and senators were forced to abandon confirmation of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory.


According to CNN it is now likely the committee will place the blame for inciting these events on former president Trump, an idea reflected by a majority of Americans in the days that followed, according to one Ipsos poll.


As they reflected on the implications of the insurrection, the police officers in Tuesday’s committee hearing referred to those involved as ‘terrorists,’ called the attack on the Capitol an ‘attempted coup,’ and characterised their own efforts as a battle for human decency.