Opening statements in Vitali GossJankowski federal trial
Here are updates on the Vitali GossJankowski federal trial.
He is a deaf man who is charged with assaulting a Capitol police officer with a deadly weapon — a stun gun — during the January 6 attack on the Capitol. He has pleaded not guilty. He is also facing several other charges related to the Capitol riot.
According to a person who is attending the trial, the jury selection was finalized on Thursday. The jury is made up of 4 white women, 4 white men, 5 black women, and 1 black man. 12 of them are the main jury while two are alternates.
There were at least four interpreters in the courtroom.
The prosecution team said there are videos and pictures of GossJankowski holding a stun gun. The weapon was previously described as a “taser” by a law enforcement agent in an indictment sheet, but during the trial, it was clarified that the weapon is a “stun gun.”
The prosecution said GossJankowski activated the stun gun against a police officer whose last name is Morris. It is not clear what the officer’s first name is.
The prosecution said they would show videos of GossJankowski’s movements near a Capitol tunnel, which was an important location because someone could access all areas of the Capitol from there.
There are video clips that show GossJankowski holding a stun gun and moving through a tunnel.
[Clips] Credit: YouTube / Jon Farina / Ryan J. Reilly
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The defense argued that the stun gun is not a “deadly weapon” because it is low grade and barely 2% of what qualifies as a taser. The defense said there is no evidence that GossJankowski used the stun gun on someone and that when he talked with investigators, he maintained the same story — that he did not stun anyone.
The defense attorney emphasized that GossJankowski is a deaf person who was at the Capitol without an interpreter and did not understand what was being shouted around him or hear what was happening.
The defense said GossJankowski wore regular clothing — it was not camouflage or anything tactical — so it shows that he did not plan in advance to attack the building.
The trial will continue next week. There will be witnesses called and it may take several days to go through them. We’ll continue to provide updates.
Video Clip 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a3RGlu5yLs
Video clip 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJOgGsC0G9U