Biden eulogizes 'hero' William Evans as late Capitol Police officer lies in honor in Rotunda

(Image credit: TOM WILLIAMS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

last updated 13 April 2021

President Biden on Tuesday eulogized the late Capitol Police officer William "Billy" Evans as he lies in honor in the Capitol Rotunda.

Biden described Evans, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this month when a driver slammed into Evans and another officer in a suspected attack on the Capitol, as a "hero." During the "intimate" address, Biden spoke directly to Evans' wife and two young children, telling them their husband and father is "still with you."

The president said that although he didn't personally know Evans, he knew people like him growing up. "He was the one who always kept his word," Biden said. "If he said he'd be there, he'd be there. He was the one who ... wasn't capable of saying 'no' when you needed him."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also spoke, calling Evans a "martyr for our democracy." Tim O'Donnell

Explore More

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.