Ray Epps Sr. was so concerned about major violence or terrorism in Washington on Jan. 6 that he showed his son and a friend how to use a tourniquet in case of a bomb explosion or other disaster, according to FBI records obtained by The Epoch Times.
During an interview with two FBI agents in Utah, Epps’s son—James Ray Epps Jr., 38—said the sobering talk from his father came as the trio was preparing to head to the Ellipse to hear President Donald Trump speak on Jan. 6, 2021.
“‘There’s gonna be a lot of people there. And there’s going to be people that want to hurt people,’” Epps Jr. quoted his father saying. “‘If there’s people that want to hurt people, there’s going to be people that get hurt.
“‘If there’s something that happens, you guys need to know that you need to help each other,’ and he grabs the gauze and he’s, you know, he’s a military man and he pulled out the tourniquets and says, ‘I want to show you guys how to use this if something happens, you got to help other people.’”
Epps Jr. recounted that conversation in a 40-minute FBI interview on April 13, 2021, according to an audio recording of the meeting obtained by The Epoch Times.
The recording is part of a collection of Epps-related material obtained by the newspaper, including FBI interview summaries, FBI audio recordings, transcripts, videos, and photographs.
Epps Sr., 61, has been at the center of a storm of controversy and speculation since June 2021, when Revolver News profiled him as a provocateur who encouraged people to go into the Capitol.
He was never arrested or charged.
His photo was originally No. 16 on the FBI Jan. 6 most-wanted page but was later scrubbed from the site without explanation.
Records obtained by The Epoch Times showed Epps Sr. believed there would be a bomb attack on a side street of Washington on Jan. 6, which prompted him to bring a first-aid kit when he traveled to the city from Arizona.
Epps Sr. told FBI agents in March 2021 that he only came to Washington on Jan. 6 because he wanted to look after his son, who decided to make the trip from his home in Utah with a friend.
“He’s my blood. I didn’t want anything to happen to him,” Epps Sr. told the FBI on March 3, 2021, according to an audio recording of the interview.
“So my wife and I decided that I should probably go, so at the last minute we bought a ticket and I went.”
Epps Jr. said before they left their hotel in the early morning of Jan. 6, his father got out his first-aid kit and told them they should be prepared to lend assistance that day.
“He’s setting us up to [help] if there’s a bomb or something, you know? That’s normally where it would happen, right? In those big groups of people?” Epps Jr. said. “‘And that at that point, the police and military aren’t going to be able to help each other, help you out very quickly. So you got to start helping other people.
“So it wasn’t like, other people may think he tried to set something up, right? But he’s just there to help,” Epps Jr. said. “And he tried to teach us how to help others.”
Reached by The Epoch Times on Aug. 19 for comment about his FBI interview, Epps Jr. said: “I’ve answered all the questions that were asked of me, so I’m good.”
Epps Sr. told FBI agents in Phoenix that in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, he “started getting a bad feeling” that calamity could strike.
“I was afraid they were going to set off an explosion on one of the side streets,” he said, according to a recording of the interview.
“So we tried to stay in the middle, tried to get there early, tried to stay away from the sides. And if something like that happened, I had a first-aid kit. I could help out.”
FBI agents did not press Epps Sr. or his son for more details on the bomb fears.
Nor did they ask about the two alleged pipe bombs found outside the Republican and Democrat party headquarters, each just blocks from the Capitol.
The RNC pipe bomb was placed near the corner of the Capitol Hill Club facing a side street. The devices did not detonate and the FBI has not arrested anyone in those cases.
Why didn’t he tell his son to just stay home? Anyone, especially someone in their 30s should know what a tourniquet is, and how and where to place it. Many war movies, TV hospital shows, crime shows, first aid class, have shown this. It’s not that difficult. But, how did Sr. know that there were people there to hurt others? It started as a peaceful march. Question is, who were the instigators in the crowds and who placed them there? I’ve never heard that any of the marchers shot a gun. Only the capital officer that should have protected, not shot and innocent person. No one knows who placed a bomb. Set up in my book.
I AM NOT AN FBI INFORMAN!!!…..JUST KIDDING.YES I AM BITCHEZ