Father of Parkland shooting victim arrested during gun law hearing
Capitol Police arrested Manuel Oliver, the 17-year-old father of a Parkland shooting victim, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday.
The hearing was related to gun regulations in the US, and Oliver reportedly yelled at and interrupted the Republican chair of the committee, who then removed him from the meeting, NBC News reports.
Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas was speaking when the interruption occurred, arguing that guns are “just a tool” similar to cars or alcohol, and should not be treated any differently.
When a man was heard screaming from the audience, Fallon compared it to the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol. “Is this an insurrection? So, will the same be required of them? I don’t want another January 6th, do I? Fallon responded.
Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, was quick to respond: “If they’re trying to overthrow the government, they should be held to the same standard. But I think they are trying to express their views.”
Fallon told Cicilline he was “out of character,” and when he was interrupted a second time he asked the room: “Aren’t the Capitol Police doing their job? What the hell is going on?
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The Republican president then adjourned the hearing, which is when the arrest reportedly took place.
A video of Oliver being held on the hallway floor outside the hearing was posted on Twitter by Florida Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost.
“Here he is (Manuel Oliver) being arrested for speaking at a committee hearing,” Frost wrote in the tweet.
“Her son, Joaquin, was shot and killed in Parkland, Florida. MANNY IS A HERO. He didn’t deserve this. The Republican chairman of this committee just called him a narcissist. Embarrassing,” he added.
In the video, a woman can be heard yelling, “Let my husband go!” Later, a Democratic aide confirmed that Oliver had attended the hearing with his wife, Patricia.
Frost tweeted again later, saying: “Manuel and Patricia Oliver have just been thrown out of this committee hearing on gun violence. Patricia said one thing and (Fallon) escalated the whole situation.”
Rep. Fallon spoke later about the incident. “We asked the Capitol Police to remove them,” he said. “Then one decided to come back in while we were still harassed and disrupted the hearing.”