Yesterday, Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer turned himself into law enforcement and was arrested, charged for his role in the Capitol insurrection on January 6. New information has since surfaced about Schaffer's involvement.
While a photographer of Schaffer was passed around social media, the extent of his involvement, other than him being inside the Capitol building wasn't known. The FBI charges against him claim that he had a can of bear mace with him and used it to spray Capitol officers. Bear mace is considered a higher grade form of pepper spray, typically used to ward off bears.
Two local Indiana news outlets, WISH-8 and WTHR-13 have since reported on the story, spotlighting new photos of security footage that purport to show Schaffer holding the bear mace. You can view those videos below.
Schaffer is dealing with the following charges:
- Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority
- Disrupting the Orderly Conduct of Government Business
- Knowingly Engaging in an Act of Physical Violence Against any Person or Property in any Restricted Building or Grounds
- Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building
- Engaging in an Act of Physical Violence in a Capitol Building
- Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
The rest of the band released a statement last week, denouncing the violence at the Capitol without directly addressing Schaffer.
Fans of Schaffer recently began demanding refunds for his Kickstarter campaign for Wicked Words & Epic Tales, which is "a collection of Jon Schaffer’s lyrics, interviews and a chronicle of the artwork that they inspired."
German newspaper Die Welt recently published video footage of Schaffer marching in a separate November Trump protest, who offered almost prophetic words on what would end up happening a few months later.
