![]() I had a lot of work to do, and there’s always a protest somewhere. He said they were hearing things were intense on the east side of the Capitol and asked me to check it out but stay inside the building. Congress started their joint session to certify the presidential election at about 1 p.m.Īt about 2 p.m., I got a call from one of my editors. 6 was going to be a short, comfortable day for me. “Compared to the photographers assigned to cover the rally at the White House and the march to the Capitol outside all day, I thought Jan. Meanwhile, AP photographer Andrew Harnik was inside the Capitol, covering Congress as he has for 18 years: It took me more than two hours to say goodbye to my wife and kids before heading to Washington to prepare for inauguration coverage. I was afraid the man who yelled he’d be back with his big guns would make good on his threat. Two weeks later, I had to go back to cover the inauguration of President Biden. We tried really hard to get into the building, but I kept reminding myself that we had a very good team of photographers covering this event and had several photographers inside the building to provide images of what was going on there.Įventually, the National Guard arrived and took control of the situation, which gave me some peace because I wasn’t sure what would happen once it got dark. At a different door, an officer was standing on the threshold shaking hands with protesters as they went in. We tried to push our way up to the front but were quickly threatened by protesters. Hundreds of people tried to enter the small doors of the building. Luckily, we were able to back off from the scene for safety.īut when we tried to get back to the front of the crowd, it was too late. At that moment, I went into protect mode and figured out a way to intervene without making things worse. And unfortunately, during a moment when the authorities seemed to have pushed back the crowd, the protesters turned on Minchillo and aggressively dragged him down a few steps, punched him, shoved him, threatened his life and finally threw him over a small retaining wall. I kept an eye out on Minchillo at all times. We jockeyed for position up front near the protesters. We suited up with our gas masks and helmets and headed toward the chaos. I did not wait for the end of the rally and decided to go with my teammate John Minchillo to the Capitol to get ahead of the crowd.īy the time we got near the Capitol, we were just behind the first group of people scuffling with cops at barricades surrounding the building. A man walked around with a blowhorn saying that after the rally near the Washington Monument, they should head over to the Capitol and stop electoral vote count that would give Joe Biden the presidency. Those sentiments echoed early in the morning as people started to arrive in Washington for what quickly became a massive rally. The night before, at Freedom Plaza, I photographed a gathering of Trump supporters who were vocally expressing how violent they were willing to go in their efforts to stop the election results from being formally counted by Congress. Nicci wants to help others be their most successful selves, noting, “when we are all using our strengths, we build a strong community.“Going into the day, I had an idea of the possibilities of danger because of all the chatter I had been seeing. She also teaches ballet and pointe to middle school and high school students, and is currently learning more about “Gallup Strengths” as she believes everyone has something to bring to the table. When she’s not working, Nicci can be found with her husband, Chris, watching their two children compete in the sports they love. ![]() After leaving journalism, she worked in marketing and public relations, and in 2002 began her career in the nonprofit sector at the University of Denver’s Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management School. Working with CBS News, Nicci assisted in covering the 1996 memorial of Oklahoma City bombing, the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and the second inauguration of President Bill Clinton in Washington D.C. Born and raised in small-town Enid, Oklahoma, Nicci earned her degree in mass communications from Oklahoma City University. ![]()
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