Killing of Ashli Babbitt
On January 6, 2021, Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot during an attack on the United States Capitol.[1] She was part of a crowd of supporters of then U.S. President Donald Trump who breached the United States Capitol building seeking to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.[2][3][4]
Part of the law enforcement response to the January 6 United States Capitol attack | |
Date | January 6, 2021 |
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Time | 2:44 pm (UTC-5) |
Location | United States Capitol, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Coordinates | 38°53′23″N 77°00′40″W |
Type | Killing by a law enforcement officer |
Cause | Deadly force used by officer guarding members of Congress from the Capitol insurrection rioters |
January 6 United States Capitol attack |
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Timeline • Planning |
Background |
Participants |
Aftermath |
Babbitt attempted to climb through a shattered window beside a barricaded door into the Speaker's Lobby, and was subsequently shot in the left shoulder by a United States Capitol Police (USCP) officer.[5][6][7][8][9] After a USCP emergency response team administered aid, Babbitt was transported to Washington Hospital Center, where she later died.[10][11] The USCP deemed the shooting was "lawful and within Department policy" and "potentially saved Members (of Congress) and staff from serious injury and possible death".[12][13]
Background
Attempts to overturn the 2020 election
After Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election,[14] then-incumbent Donald Trump pursued an aggressive and unprecedented[15] effort to overturn the election,[16][17] with support and assistance from his campaign, his proxies, his political allies, and many of his supporters. These efforts culminated in the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, the day set for Congressional certification of the Electoral College vote count.
Personal life and viewpoints of Ashli Babbitt
Babbitt, 35, was raised in a mostly apolitical family near San Diego, California.[18] In 2004, she enlisted in the United States Air Force, where she served 12 years; while on active duty, she met her first husband, Staff Sgt. Timothy McEntee. Babbitt was deployed at least eight times by 2014,[19] including in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar; from 2010 onward, she served in the Air National Guard. Six of her years in service were spent in a "Capital Guardians" unit of the District of Columbia Air National Guard, whose mandate is to defend the Washington D.C. region and quell civil unrest.[20][18] In 2014 Babbitt served as a "mentor" to less-experienced airmen about to go on their first deployment.[21] She reached the rank of senior airman, a "relatively low rank" for a 12-year veteran according to The Washington Post.[20][22][23][24]
From 2015 to 2017, near the end of her service, she supplemented her income by working as security at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Maryland. There, she met Aaron Babbitt, who would become her second husband. She filed for divorce from her first husband in 2018.[18]
In 2016, she faced criminal charges of reckless endangerment in Maryland after she repeatedly smashed her SUV into a vehicle being driven by a former girlfriend of Aaron Babbitt.[18][25] Citing ongoing harassment, the victim obtained multiple judicial orders forbidding Ashli any contact with her.[25]
In 2018, Babbitt moved back to California with her second husband and they purchased a pool servicing business. She worked there with her brother and several other relatives.[18]
Babbitt voted for Barack Obama at least once: asked by another Twitter user on November 15, 2018 if she had "supported Obama the same way [she] supported Trump?" she replied "[...] yes I did [...] I think Obama did great things... he jacked some shit up... but I think he did do a lot of good... at a time where we needed him. I voted for him!"[26] She later registered as a Libertarian.[20]
According to her brother, she became frustrated with such issues as the number of homeless people in San Diego and the difficulties of running a small business.[18] As she struggled professionally, Babbitt came to embrace the radical right. On July 1, 2019, a judge issued a $71,000 judgment against her pool business for failing to repay a loan; around the same time, she supported Donald Trump and started following and promoting conspiracy theories.[20] In November 2019, Babbitt tweeted about Pizzagate, a conspiracy theory that senior Democrats were operating a child sex-trafficking ring.[27] By February 2020, Babbitt publicly supported QAnon, a broader far-right conspiracy theory that expanded Pizzagate's claims by adding the concept of a worldwide cabal of Satan-worshipping child abusers whom Trump is secretly fighting.[28][29][30] One customer recalled having stopped doing business with the company in 2020 after Babbitt unexpectedly delivered a political rant over the telephone.[31]
Babbitt was very active on social media through her Twitter handle @CommonAshSense. She did not post much original content: most of her posts were retweets, frequently of messages from conservative and right-wing figures like Michael Flynn and Jack Posobiec, and conservative news sites like Right Side Broadcasting.[32] According to Marc-André Argentino, a researcher working on QAnon and other extremist groups, Babbitt was not "a leader or major influencer within the QAnon movement", and was not involved in selling QAnon-themed merchandise. She had nonetheless tweeted regularly about the conspiracy theory since February 2020. Babbitt posted about 50 times a day on Twitter; on election day, she posted 77 times.[33]
After the election, Babbitt rejected the results and began supporting the Stop the Steal movement.[27] On January 1, 2021, Babbitt announced plans to travel to DC for January 6.[27]
A central belief among QAnon members is that Trump was planning a massive sting operation on the "cabal", with mass arrests of thousands of cabal members to take place on a day known as "The Storm".[7][34] On January 5, 2021, the day before the assault on the Capitol, Babbitt tweeted:
Nothing can stop us....they can try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours....dark to light....[35]
On January 6, prior to her arrival at the Capitol, Babbitt retweeted messages by Trump lawyer and QAnon promoter L. Lin Wood demanding that Vice President Mike Pence, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts resign and that charges be brought against Pence and Rosenstein.[36][37][38]
Capitol attack
Starting in December, Trump repeatedly encouraged his supporters to protest in Washington, D.C., on January 6 in support of his campaign to overturn the election results,[39] telling his supporters to "Be there, will be wild!".[40] The Washington Post editorial board criticized Trump for urging street protests, referring to previous violence by some Trump supporters at two rallies and his statement during a presidential debate telling the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by".[41] Multiple groups of die-hard Trump supporters staged rallies in Washington on that day: Women for America First; the Eighty Percent Coalition (also at Freedom Plaza) (the group's name refers to the belief that approximately 80% of Trump voters do not accept the legitimacy of Biden's win); and "The Silent Majority" (a group organized by a South Carolina conservative activist).[39][42] George Papadopoulos and Roger Stone, ardent allies of Trump, headlined some of the events. In addition to the formally organized events, the Proud Boys, other far-right groups, and white supremacists vowed to descend on Washington on January 6, with some threatening violence and pledging to carry weapons.[39] Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio said that his followers would "be incognito" and would "spread across downtown DC in smaller teams".[42]
As the certification process was underway, Trump gave a speech encouraging his supporters to march to the Capitol. Many of them did, whereupon they joined other protesters already gathered in the area and violently breached and stormed the Capitol, eventually entering the Senate chamber as well as numerous offices. The Congressional proceedings were suspended, the legislators were taken to secure locations, and Mike Pence and later Nancy Pelosi were evacuated.[43]Speaker Pelosi was evacuated from the Capitol complex.[44] It was reported that Vice President Pence had been also evacuated, but he remained in a secure location inside the Capitol.[45][46]
Rioters occupied the empty Senate chamber while federal law enforcement officers defended the evacuated House floor.[47][48]
Capitol police were overrun by the rioters.[49]
Shooting during the attempted breach of the Speaker's Lobby
At 2:44 p.m., law enforcement was trying to "defend two fronts" to the House Chamber, and "a lot of members [of Congress] and staff that were in danger at the time".[50][51] Pipe bombs had been discovered outside the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee,[52][53] and Capitol Police officers had been warned that many attackers were carrying concealed weapons.[54]
Babbitt, wearing a Trump flag as a cape, was among several dozen rioters who approached the doors to the Speaker's Lobby, adjacent to the House chambers.[5][55] Three uniformed officers were posted outside the Lobby where they were threatened by the crowd. One member of the mob yelled, "Fuck the Blue" (blue being a reference to the police). One officer guarding the doors told the others "They're ready to roll", and the three officers moved away from the barricaded doors leading to the Speaker's Lobby.[5] No longer impeded by police, one rioter, Zachary Jordan Alam, smashed a glass window beside the doors.[12][56] On the other side of those doors, many lawmakers and staff were being evacuated by Capitol Police,[8] but some were trapped in the House balcony.[57]
After "he's got a gun" was yelled several times when Lieutenant Michael Byrd aimed his weapon,[58] Babbitt, hoisted by two men,[18] began to climb through the shattered window. She was then shot in the left shoulder[9] by Lieutenant Byrd[10][8] and fell back among the other protesters.[18] Babbitt had been warned not to proceed through the window: one witness recalled that "A number of police and Secret Service were saying 'Get back! Get down! Get out of the way!'; [Babbitt] didn't heed the call."[59]
Many rioters immediately began to leave the scene, making room for a Capitol Police emergency response team to get in and administer aid, and Babbitt was transported to Washington Hospital Center where she later died. She was 35 years old.[8] Some media reports described Babbitt as "unarmed" at the time of the shooting;[60][61] according to a January 11, 2021 crime scene examination report by the D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences, the police "[r]ecovered a 'Para Force' folding knife in Ms. Babbitt's pants pocket" after she was shot.[62][63][64][65][66]
U.S. Representative Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a witness to Babbitt's attempted breach, said that Lieutenant Byrd "didn't have a choice" but to shoot, and that his action "saved people's lives".[50][67]
The shooting was recorded on several cameras, and footage was widely circulated.[68] John Earle Sullivan, among those who recorded footage of the shooting, was arrested for his role in the attack.[69] Zachary Alam was also arrested for his role in the attack.[70][71]
Investigation
Following the routine process for shootings by Capitol Police officers, the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia and the United States Department of Justice investigated Babbitt's death and made a determination that the shooting was "lawful and within Department policy".[12][72][73] Upon clearing Byrd, USCP released a press statement saying his action "potentially saved Members and staff from serious injury and possible death".[13]
Public remarks by CSPD Officer Lt Byrd
After being cleared of wrongdoing, Byrd made his name public in an August 2021 interview for NBC News.[74][75][76][77][78] He said his name had been previously revealed in right-wing media and online forums and that he had received racist (Byrd is African-American) and violent threats, causing him to remain in hiding for several months. Looking back on his January 6 experience, Byrd said: "Once we barricaded the doors, we were essentially trapped where we were. There was no way to retreat. No other way to get out. If they get through that door, they're into the House chamber and upon the members of Congress." He stated that he had pulled the trigger as a "last resort" after the mob of protesters ignored his repeated orders to get back, and that he had no idea at that moment that Babbitt was unarmed and was a woman. Byrd commented: "I know that day I saved countless lives. I know members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in jeopardy and in serious danger. And that's my job".[60]
Reactions
Though they deplored Babbitt's death shortly after the event, few among Republican Members of Congress and conservative media initially claimed any wrongdoing from law enforcement, or suggested that it warranted a backlash. Gradually, though, efforts were made to suggest that Babbitt was a martyr, or at least a patriot who was unjustly killed.[79] Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin were sympathetic to Babbitt, with Levin understating Babbitt's actions and claiming that she had just been "walking around with the rest". U.S. Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) said Babbitt had been "executed", later doubling down on that comment and adding that the police officer had been "lying in wait" and demanding to know his name. This drew a rebuke from representative Liz Cheney, who accused Gosar of "[smearing] the men and women who defended us". Fringe figures [79] and far-right extremists [80] have also cast Babbitt as a martyr or a "freedom fighter".[80] Democratic strategist Mark Burns said this was a "dangerous development for a Republican Party with members [27] increasingly comfortable pressing for and defending political violence".[81] Both he and David Frum in The Atlantic compared these efforts to the Nazi glorification of Horst Wessel.[82]
Some QAnon supporters, including Lin Wood, have said that Babbitt is still alive and that her apparent death was a "false flag" operation.[27][83]
In October 2021, Trump recorded a video message arguing that "There was no reason Ashli should've lost her life that day. We must all demand justice for Ashli and her family".[84][85][86]
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the shooting of Babbitt, describing it as an "assassination".[87] Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo called for an investigation into Babbitt's death.[88]
Legacy
Babbitt's mother, Micki Witthoeft, became politically active following her daughter's death. In July 2021, she appeared at a Donald Trump rally where she was introduced by Paul Gosar and received a standing ovation from the crowd. During the rally, Trump expressed condolences to Witthoeft and acknowledged that Babbitt had died trying to salvage his presidency. Witthoeft later said in an interview that she was writing letters of support to January 6 arrestees and commented that her daughter had "made the ultimate sacrifice to bring attention to a stolen election. Half the country loves her and half the country hates her. It's weird to have your child belong to the world".[89] Babbitt's husband told reporters that he does not want violence done in his wife's name, after being asked about comments made by Michael Braynard, the organizer of the Justice for J6 rally, which was dedicated in part to Babbitt.[90]
Babbitt's name and the circumstances of her death have been invoked by various groups. Shortly after her death, Babbitt's name and image were used widely by extremist groups on social media groups, such as Parler and Telegram, with some using white nationalist and antisemitic themes.[91]
In February 2022, American truckers attempting to emulate the Canadian truckers protests against COVID-19 vaccine mandates told reporters that they were also protesting Babbitt's death along with issues such as COVID-19 restrictions and critical race theory.[92]
In May 2023, during a round of tit for tat sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Byrd was one of 500 Americans to have financial and travel restrictions imposed on them. While the Russian Foreign Ministry did not directly address Byrd's listing, it said that the list included: "those in...law enforcement agencies who are directly involved in the persecution of dissidents in the wake of the so-called storming of the Capitol."[93][94]
References
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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. 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.
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Trump's efforts to cling to power are unprecedented in American history. While political parties have fought over the results of presidential elections before, no incumbent president has ever made such expansive and individualized pleas to the officials who oversee certification of the election results.
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President Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election are unprecedented in American history and an even more audacious use of brute political force to gain the White House than when Congress gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency during Reconstruction.
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Since joining the Air Force eight years ago on active duty, McEntee has deployed seven times. This deployment with the 113th SFS will be her eighth total deployment and her second since joining the DCANG.
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[T]hanks to deployment veterans [...] the newer airmen are in good hands and have the opportunity to seek mentorship and advice from those who have deployed on numerous occasions such as Senior Airman Ashli McEntee. Since joining the Air Force eight years ago on active duty, McEntee has deployed seven times. This deployment with the 113th SFS will be her eighth total deployment and her second since joining the DCANG. While preparing for deployment here and at Eglin AFB, she also found herself in a mentoring position to the younger and newer airmen for whom this will be their first time "down range." "The newer airmen have been coming to us and asking about the living conditions, the weather, the gear, the schedule, how we work as teams, the hours we work," McEntee said. "As we have a large amount of first timers deploying with us, I think we can offer comfort and knowledge."
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Ashli Babbitt tweeted "the storm is here" ahead of a violent protest
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About 7:30 p.m., the figure placed one outside the Democratic National Committee, grainy surveillance video released by the FBI shows. The suspect then walks through the residential streets behind the Capitol and places another pipe bomb outside the Republican National Committee.
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- "BREAKING: Ashli Babbitt Shooting Documents UNCOVERED". Judicial Watch. October 15, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
A DC Department of Forensic Sciences crime scene examination report filed January 11, 2021, indicated that among Babbitt's personal possessions was a 'Para force' folding knife. [...] According to the investigators they, 'recovered "a para force" folding knife in Ms. Babbitt's pants pocket.'
- "Knife (Ashley Babbitt)". Judicial Watch. November 12, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- "Investigative Report Concerning the Use of Force (Glock 22 .40 caliber service pistol) by United States Capitol Police Lieutenant Michael Byrd" (PDF). Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia Internal Affairs Bureau. June 16, 2021. p. 240, 524. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
Recovered a 'Para Force' folding knife in Ms. Babbitt's pants pocket;
- Sharlet, Jeff (June 22, 2022). "January 6 Was Only the Beginning". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
There's a knife in her pocket.
- Neumann, Ann (March 30, 2023). "'I see this as a global fascist moment': author Jeff Sharlet on interviewing far-right Americans". The Guardian. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
They would say she's unarmed, but it's not true. She was carrying a knife. There's a photo of [Babbitt's knife] on the cover of the book. You could say, well, it's a small knife. Really? That knife is plenty big enough.
- Melendez, Pilar; Bredderman, William; Montgomery, Blake (January 8, 2021). "'Didn't Have a Choice': Vet Was Climbing Through Broken Window When She Was Shot Dead". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- Wagner, Dennis; Daniels, Melissa; Hauck, Grace (January 7, 2021). "California woman killed during Capitol riot was a military veteran and staunch Trump supporter". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
Babbitt served in the Air Force under the married name of Ashli Elizabeth McEntee ... she had been a staunch Trump supporter
- Ross, Jamie (January 15, 2021). "Man Who Filmed Ashli Babbitt Shooting at Capitol Charged With Joining Riot". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
- Lohr, Ty, and Yabor, Eric (February 2, 2021). "Who is the man the FBI arrested in Lancaster County after Capitol attack?". Lancaster Online. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Keller, Aaron (December 22, 2021). "Man Accused of Smashing Glass Near Ashli Babbitt Shooting Scene Suggests Derailing Plea Talks Because of Alleged Error in Entirely Separate Case". Law and Crime. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- Viswanatha, Aruna; Gurman, Sadie; Hobbs, Tawnell D. (February 1, 2021). "Officer Who Shot Capitol Rioter Ashli Babbitt Shouldn't Be Charged, Investigators Advise". The Wall Street Journal.
- Wild, Whitney; Duster, Chandelis (August 23, 2021). "US Capitol Police says shooting of January 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt was 'lawful'". CNN. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- Sprunt, Barbara (August 26, 2021). "The Police Officer Who Fatally Shot Ashli Babbitt At Jan. 6 Riot Reveals His Identity". NPR. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- Breuninger, Kevin (August 25, 2021). "Officer who shot pro-Trump rioter Ashli Babbitt to reveal identity in NBC News interview". CNBC. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- Kornick, Lindsay (August 26, 2021). "Officer who shot Ashli Babbitt gives first public interview to NBC News". Fox News. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- "Capitol Police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt reveals identity in NBC interview, says 'I saved countless lives' on Jan. 6". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- "NBC to air interview with Capitol officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt". The Independent. August 25, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- Blake, Aaron (June 18, 2021). "The slow-building conservative effort to turn Ashli Babbitt into a martyr". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021.
- Goldman, Adam; Dewan, Shaila (January 23, 2021). "Inside the Deadly Capitol Shooting". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
Since Ms. Babbitt's death, far-right extremists and white supremacists have claimed her as a martyr and a 'freedom fighter', even reproducing her image on flags and with anti-Semitic imagery. Many have demanded the release of the name of the officer who shot her.
- Burns, Max (July 12, 2021). "Trump makes Ashli Babbitt, killed in the Capitol riot, into a martyr. Why that's so dangerous". NBC News. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- Frum, David (July 13, 2021). "There's a Word for What Trumpism Is Becoming". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- Dowd, Katie (January 11, 2021). "The far-right propaganda machine doesn't know what to do with Ashli Babbitt". San Francisco Chronicle.
- Benen, Steve (October 12, 2021). "Trump's rhetoric about Ashli Babbitt takes an unsettling turn". MSNBC.com. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- Cooper, Anderson (October 12, 2021). "Trump makes video honoring fatally shot Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt – CNN Video". Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- Wagner, John (October 11, 2021). "Trump wishes happy birthday to fatally shot Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, calls for Justice Department to reopen investigation". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- "Putin likens Russian crackdown to arresting Capitol rioters". Associated Press. June 14, 2021.
- Araújo, Ernesto [@ernestofaraujo] (January 7, 2021). "-Há que lamentar e condenar a invasão da sede do Congresso ocorrida nos EUA ontem. -Há que investigar se houve participação de elementos infiltrados na invasão -Há que deplorar e investigar a morte de 4 pessoas incluindo uma manifestante atingida por um tiro dentro do Congresso" (Tweet) (in Portuguese). Retrieved January 12, 2021 – via Twitter.
- Schwartzman, Paul; Dowsey, Josh (July 30, 2021). "How Ashli Babbitt went from Capitol rioter to Trump-embraced 'martyr'". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
- Watts, Lindsay (September 13, 2021). "'I don't want it': Husband of Ashli Babbitt discourages violence at Sept. 18 rally". FOX 5 DC. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- Fischer, Jordan (July 20, 2021). "'Who shot Ashli Babbitt?' | Inside the effort to make a January 6 martyr". WUSA 9 ABC. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- Slisco, Aila (February 22, 2022). "Truckers readying D.C. convoy want "justice for Ashli" Babbitt, shot Jan. 6". Newsweek. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- Baker, Peter (May 21, 2023). "Russia's Latest Sanctions on U.S. Officials Turn to Trump Enemies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
- "Заявление МИД России в связи с введением персональных санкций в отношении граждан США". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (in Russian). May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
External links
- Internal documents from DC Metropolitan Police investigation of the shooting, released in response to a FOIA request
- Bellingcat documentation from social media and open source video of Babbitt's movements on January 6 and her ideological shifts