A woman who was shot inside the Capitol is identified as an Air Force veteran. (shot by LE)

[pat_k]

Source: New York Times

The chief of the U.S. Capitol Police confirmed on Thursday that an officer had shot and killed a woman inside the Capitol after the building was breached by President Trump’s supporters. He identified the woman as Ashli Babbitt, a former member of the Air Force.

Ms. Babbitt, 35, had been assigned to security units that police Air Force bases, according to military publications. A 2014 article said she had deployed seven times in eight years and achieved the rank of senior airman.
. . .

Chief Sund said an officer had shot Ms. Babbitt as the people who had overrun the Capitol “were forcing their way” to a part of the building where members of Congress were sheltering. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Department, the local police in Washington, had said on Wednesday that the officer who shot Ms. Babbitt was a plainclothes Capitol Police officer.
. . .

Chief Sund said his agency had placed the officer who shot Ms. Babbitt on administrative leave and that the officer’s police powers had been suspended. He did not identify the officer.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/us/politics/ashli-babbitt-dead.html

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[LakeArenal]

1. Why is the officer being punished?

Geez if she was black he’d be hailed as a hero.

[pat_k]

5. I think suspension for investigation is pretty standard. . .

I don't think the woman shot deserved a "death penalty." Even though capitol police were seeking to protect sheltering Senators, I'm not sure that deadly force was called for at that point, unless there was reason to believe the woman was armed.

Of course, whether deadly force is deemed appropriate or not, because the woman is white, I have no doubt her family will receive a massive settlement.

[LakeArenal]

8. Maybe not gotten to the point of deadliness.

But if they wanted a revolution then people get shot.

If there had been some mace, rubber bullets, high pressure hoses, arrests at the point of siege then again maybe folks would not have died.

But considering these people were intent on getting to the senators in the building and pillaging the Capitol, then too bad so sad.

It’s all fun and games til someone gets shot. You can see how joyful they were.

[brush]

10. She was climbing thru a window next to a barricaded door...

to let the rest of the insurrectionists into the Speaker's lobby. The officer, charged with protecting the person second in line to the president, did his job. He had no idea what would happen if she got in and let that mob in.

She was a veteran with several tours of duty and should have known what happens when staging an insurrection, or defending against one. What the hell was she doing? It was not cosplay, not fun and games. That was a stupid and dangerous thing to do. Did she not think after storming the Capitol and trying to break into a barricaded door that the legislators wouldn't have armed security for just such an event?

No she didn't think, got caught up in mob mentality. Just dumb.

[pat_k]

14. Got it (wasn't clear she was first one going through in earlier video I saw)

Last edited Fri Jan 8, 2021, 12:45 AM - Edit history (2)

This video makes it clear she was the first one going through the window to the hall.

I see that the shooting was justified to stop the mob from breaching a part of the building members of congress were sheltered in.

This wasn't clear to me earlier. In the video I saw yesterday, it looked like she was just one of a mob that had already breached an area when she was shot. Begged the question, out of all those people, why her?

[IsItJustMe]

28. Not when she was in the commission of a felony. You and I read different law books.

[pat_k]

37. See post above

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2662240

They were all committing a felony. Mowing them all down would not have been justified.

As I noted in the above post, after seeing a better video of what occurred, I think the shooting was likely justified. That she was committing a felony is not justification. (She was part of a mob trying to break down the doors to an area of the building where members of Congress were sheltering. She was the first one through. The advance had to be stopped at that point. It was stopped.)

[dware]

15. This is standard procedure for police shootings,

He'll be reinstated soon enough, meanwhile, he will be paid while the investigation is ongoing.

[rpannier]

27. SOP is 'desk duty'

They do an investigation
In some places, an evaluation of the officer is mandated, especially when they've never killed anyone before
It is pretty traumatic

[LeftInTX]

33. They always suspend after police shooting...

to allow for an investigation

Heck they even did this in Dragnet

[DURHAM D]

2. So one police officer did their job?

Actually protected members of congress,

[Evolve Dammit]

26. Seriously.

[bucolic_frolic]

31. +1

[Chainfire]

3. If she only made E4 in eight years, she was not an over achiever.

If she worked in the security field in the service she should have know better. She played a stupid game and won a stupid prize.

[artemisia1]

30. I wonder if she was qualitied out? Her husband makes it sound like she did high-level stuff, lol.

Any servicemember, former or active, should know better.

[Hip2bSquare]

4. A veteran dying for a bone spur

Suckers and losers is what I remember donny calling deceased veterans. Lost her life for a piece of human garbage.

[sdfernando]

6. and where were you "chief sund" ???

1 of your officers actually DID their job. What did you do? cower in your office? call Her Fuhrer to find out what to do? Why haven't you brief Congress? Why no communication to 2nd in line to the Presidency? A good portion of the chain of succession was in that building you were supposed to protect? We need answer from you and we need them NOW!!!

[Deuxcents]

7. On another thread..

There was a link to her background n rap sheet. I’ll try to look it up but she’s definitely not gonna participate in any more storming our capital. The police officer was just doing his job but I imagine it’s haunting for him. I wish him well

[sorcrow]

9. So what

Vet, schmet. Hell, Benedict Arnold was active duty. She violated her oath. She engaged in a criminal, seditious enterprise.

Regards,
Crow

[flotsam]

36. Ugly

But yes.

[safeinOhio]

11. When the looting starts...

The shooting starts.

[ResistantAmerican17]

12. Michael Flynn is a retired general and he's a fucking traitor but he's smart enough to push

for treason from a cozy living room or OAN studio. Every time that fuckwit asshat Josh Hawkey opens his mouth someone should show his power salute to the Nazi traitors. Rafael Cruz—— I don’t want a visit from the secret service. But my imagination is my business.

[riverwalker]

13. She was a traitor

and dangerous. He did his job.

[2naSalit]

17. +1

[AngryOldDem]

18. After hearing how extreme her views were...

I’m having a very hard time finding sympathy.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

[orangecrush]

16. "Hey Man, Nice Shot"

He was the only one doing his fucking job.

THERE WERE CACHES OF FUCKING BOMBS FOUND NEAR DEM HQ.

FUCK THOSE PEOPLE.

[ucrdem]

19. She is a tragic propaganda victim but she made her choice.

As a vet she must have known what she was risking, and she went in there with her eyes open. Hopefully her death will deter others from similar deaths.

[pat_k]

20. It certainly stopped the mob from trying to break down the doors.

This video is a lot clearer than the one I saw yesterday.

She was the first one climbing through to breach a new area -- an area of the building where members of Congress were sheltering according to Chief Sund's statement.

In the video I saw yesterday, it appeared she was shot as just one member of a mob that had already broken into the area in front of the doors.

[sarge43]

23. She probably wasn't all that adroit at risk eval

In another thread someone posted she'd been in the AF for 14 years. This article said her rank was senior airman. That's the fourth notch up the greasy pole, ie just about a thanks for showing up rank. If that's the rank she held when she got out, she was either sloth level lazy and dim or she was busted down in rank. That may be why she bailed or was handed the ticket home. Very few people voluntarily leave with that many years behind them. She was one more reenlistment away from retirement. I'd hazarded she was going off the rails long before she went magabot.

[ucrdem]

32. Could be.

And now she's a martyr to the confederacy of dunces. That could have been part of the assessment.

[paleotn]

21. I don't care, do you?

Without being too far out of line, can I say she deserved it?

My heart is not broken. One less piece of trump trash.

[orangecrush]

22. Nope.

My sympathy goes to terrorized congress people.

[Lonestarblue]

24. No sympathy whatsoever.

If you choose to riot against legitimate government , trying to overturn a legal election, you deserve what you get.

[Evolve Dammit]

25. Guess she just forgot that oath to protect and defend the Constitution from all enemies thingy... NT

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

29. was she armed? some reports said she was but who knows - rumors running rampant nt

[ancianita]

34. Media just don't tell the whole truth. Here's the last thing she tweeted before her death:

Babbit tweeted, “Nothing will stop us…. they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours….dark to light.”

She's a martyr and hero to The Storm world, but in our rule of law world, she chose to be a felon.

Thanks to Quixote1818 for posting this yesterday. https://upload.democraticunderground.com/100214835916

[rockfordfile]

35. don't get mixed up with right-wing extremist