Capitol police who protected democracy on Jan. 6 carry the day’s scars

On Jan. 6, Sgt. Aquilino Gonell stood in a tunnel near a basement entrance to the U.S. Capitol.

A team of Capitol Police officers Gonell supervised was assembled near the entrance, where they vowed to hold the line. Gonell looked at his watch: 1:13 p.m. “Where is the help?” he asked himself. He called on the radio for backup. It felt as if nobody was responding to his distress call.