Video shows newly elected W.Va. lawmaker among mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol

A newly elected member of the West Virginia House of Delegates has been seen in a video as part of the group of pro-Trump rioters who forced their way into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

Del. Derrick Evans, a Republican from Wayne County, W.Va., won his first term as a state lawmaker in the November election and was sworn in last month. Video streaming on his Facebook page throughout the day showed him on the Capitol grounds and just outside the building.

The video that shows Evans entering the Capitol was later deleted, though not before multiple social media users made and shared copies of it.

At one point during the video, hundreds of people are shown forcing their way into the building, and someone is heard yelling: “We’re in! We’re in! Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!”

In a separate Facebook post published just after 6 p.m., Evans said he was on a bus traveling back to West Virginia. He wrote that he did not have “negative interactions” with law enforcement. He said he did not participate in “any destruction that may have occurred.”

He wrote that he was in D.C. “as an independent member of the media to film history.” However, Evans is not known to work as a professional journalist.

In a statement issued Wednesday evening, West Virginia House Speaker Roger Hanshaw condemned the events at the U.S. Capitol.

“I have not spoken to Delegate Evans about today’s events. I don’t know the specifics of his involvement. I have only seen what has been posted on social media so far, and I’m sure more details may come out soon,” Hanshaw said. “He will need to answer to his constituents and colleagues regarding his involvement in what has occurred today.”

A spokesman for Hanshaw also said that because the event is still unfolding, the speaker’s office is gathering information and “will evaluate all the potential consequences once the totality of the situation is understood.”

Belinda Biafore and Rod Snyder — who serve as chair and vice chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party, respectively — called for Evans to resign from his seat in the House of Delegates.

Evans did not respond to multiple requests by West Virginia Public Broadcasting for an interview.

Copyright 2021 West Virginia Public Broadcasting. To see more, visit West Virginia Public Broadcasting.