Shooting of rioter ‘lawful,’ saved lives, Capitol Police say
The shooting of Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot was “lawful,” and the Capitol Police officer involved will not face any internal disciplinary actions, the Capitol Police announced Monday, arguing his actions may have “saved” members of Congress “from serious injury and possible death.”
A video shows the 35-year-old Air Force veteran and Trump supporter trying to climb through a broken doorway window into the Speaker’s Lobby during the storming of the Capitol Jan. 6, when she was shot and killed by an officer who has not yet been publicly identified.
The Capitol Police’s Office of Professional Responsibility “determined the officer’s conduct was lawful and within Department policy, which says an officer may use deadly force only when the officer reasonably believes that action is in the defense of human life, including the officer’s own life, or in the defense of any person in immediate danger of serious physical injury.” Capitol Police said that he “will not be facing internal discipline.”
“The actions of the officer in this case potentially saved Members and staff from serious injury and possible death from a large crowd of rioters who forced their way into the U.S. Capitol and to the House Chamber where Members and staff were steps away,” Capitol Police said. “USCP Officers had barricaded the Speaker’s Lobby with furniture before a rioter shattered the glass door. If the doors were breached, the rioters would have immediate access to the House Chambers. The officer’s actions were consistent with the officer’s training and USCP policies and procedures.”
The FBI has said that law enforcement officers began to move away from the doorway of the Speaker’s Lobby after a crowd including Babbitt reached it. The crowd can be seen trying to bust out the glass in the entryway door windows.
Former President Donald Trump has demanded “justice” for Babbitt, saying he knows who killed her and that those who participated in the Capitol riot have been treated unfairly.
Attorney Terry Roberts, who is preparing to file a $10 million wrongful-death suit on behalf of Babbitt’s family, said she was killed in an “ambush.”





