U.S. Capitol Police officer cleared of wrongdoing in fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt during Capitol

[DonViejo]

Source: Washington Post


U.S. Capitol Police officer cleared of wrongdoing in fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt during Capitol attack

By Keith L. Alexander, Justin Jouvenal and
Spencer S. Hsu

April 14, 2021 at 1:20 p.m. EDT

A U.S. Capitol Police officer has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing for fatally shooting Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt as she attempted to breach a set of doors deep in the Capitol during the January siege, federal prosecutors in D.C. announced Wednesday.

Authorities determined there was insufficient evidence to prove Babbitt’s civil rights were violated, and that it was reasonable for the officer to believe he was firing in self-defense or in defense of members of Congress and aides who were fleeing the House chamber. Prosecutors did not identify the officer.

The slaying of the 35-year-old California native became one of the defining moments of the riot, after graphic videos of her shooting spread across social media and were replayed by news outlets.

Prosecutors notified Congress and a representative of Babbitt’s family of its findings Wednesday, the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips of Washington, D.C., said in a statement. The statement said the U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Department of Justice have closed the investigation, “acknowledging the tragic loss of life and offering condolences” to Babbitt’s family.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/ashli-babbitt-capitol-police-shooting/2021/04/14/452fb414-666a-11eb-886d-5264d4ceb46d_story.html

[Downtown Hound]

1. For once, this is a ruling like this I agree with

Except for the part about it being a tragic loss of life.

[lapfog_1]

2. in my view

the only mistake made was not shooting all of them.

They were trying to overturn our democracy

[Mickju]

11. +1

[MontanaMama]

17. +1

If Capitol Police had been able to mow down the first couple rows of insurrectionists, the rest of them would have turned tail and run and maybe they wouldn't have done tens of millions of dollars of damage to our Capitol building and killed and maimed our police officers. I've got nothing but contempt for these people. None.

[pfitz59]

37. I agree

The first one through the broken door or window... and all the rest following.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

3. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. Shooting a terrorist in the act of insurrection is justified

Link to tweet

[louis-t]

5. She died thinking she was a hero

instead of the foolhardy, gullible sucker that she actually was.

[JohnSJ]

6. He should be given a medal. His action most likely stopped that mob from completely breaking into

the chamber, and taking hostages or worse

[WarGamer]

20. Not really.

10 feet away was a large team of heavily armed SWAT officers.

I don't think the shooter knew they were there.

[Doc Sportello]

7. The officer should be given a medal

Protecting the last line of defense before the mob reached members of Congress. And why the hell does the DOJ need to offer condolences to the family of an insurrectionist trying to overturn an election and quite probably harm Congress people, staffers and police? When ordinary criminals are shot and killed by police protecting property they don't issue such condolences.

[Lokee11]

8. Thank you! +1

✊!

[WarGamer]

22. Did you miss the large team of heavily armed SWAT officers 10 feet behind Babbit?

[barbtries]

24. i did. nt

[WarGamer]

25. the rioters were pancaked between the cop/door and a SWAT team.

All within like 10 feet.

I don't think the shooter knew the SWAT team was there or he wouldn't have fired.

[Doc Sportello]

33. There was no such thing

Here's the video. There was not a "large team" but just four officers coming behind her after she got shot and after the crowd banging on the doors parted. The officer who shot her was off to the side and shot from an angle where he was very unlikely to have seen them behind the crowd or at all from his vantage point. Perhaps you missed that.

The officer had to make a split second decision based on a mob attacking the building and getting through the last line of defense protecting Congress people. He made the right decision.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/01/08/ashli-babbitt-shooting-video-capitol/

[WarGamer]

34. Thanks for reminding me

Oh I did note that about the shooter. I don't think he knew the SWAT team was there. If he had, I don't think he would have shot her. Maybe would have... but clearly the SWAT team was there to clear the crowd away from that door.

There were 4 Capitol security officers on the rioters side of the door, too. Not counting the SWAT team.

That's 4 there, one behind the door and the SWAT team with automatic weapons.

Why did the 4 Capitol crew walk away from the door allowing the rioters to start banging on it? Did you notice that? They didn't attack the doorway until those guys walked away.

And the video does NOT show the size of the SWAT team which was right behind the rioters the whole time. Just because yo uee 4-5 doesn't mean there weren't 10 more.

And on the other side of the door there was at least ONE more undercover cop down the hall.

Don't get me wrong.

It was a clean shoot, 100% legal.

But it's laughable how some people make it sound like that dude was holding down the Alamo from Santa Ana's army.

Just in that 2 minute video we see AT LEAST 10 Capitol Security personnel in frame... all in a single hallway

[Doc Sportello]

35. It's disgusting that you continue to make statements that are contradicted by the video evidence

You made the claim that there was "a large SWAT team behind Babbitt" as if four was a big number and as if they were there the whole time. The video shows there are four who only entered AFTER she had been shot and was down on the floor. Behind her at the time she was shot was a LARGE group of insurrectionists who came in and started trying to break into the Speakers lobby right after THREE - not four - Capitol Police who were standing in front of the crowd had moved away.

There is NOTHING in the video to show what you claim or infer. Three Capitol police, the officer inside who shot and maybe two to three others back by the room where the Congress people were. That's it standing against a mob of 20 to 30 intent on hurting or taking hostage, or who knows what to those inside. Just because there are four tactical officers shown at the end of the video does NOT mean there were more behind them as you seem to fantasize. And as I pointed out, there was no way the officer who shot could have known help was on the way because a LARGE group of insurrectionists - not "ner-do-wells' - as you try to minimize them was behind Babbitt.

There was nothing laughable about the situation. The video shows Rep. McGovern by the door right before the crowd moved toward it. It's disgusting that you think it's funny that posters here are reacting to the dire situation that the video clearly shows, and that the officer had to react to. What's worse is you making these people who injured 140 officers, killed or caused the deaths of others, traumatized hundreds of Congress people and their staffers out as "ner-do-wellls" or "gosh they're not Santa Ana's army" as something less than the mob of violent insurrectionists that they were. Your comments are exactly the kind made by Faux news, repubs and trumpers who are to this day trying to downplay the whole thing. Perhaps you feel more at home on one of their web sites.

[WarGamer]

36. This is obviously not a fruitful discussion.

So I'll just correct your last few misunderstandings and let it go.

It was FOUR Capitol Security officers in front of the door. 2 in CP uniforms, 1 in another uniform and to their right, a dude in a suit with a black mask who had his back to the door and coordinated the other 3 walking away.

That's FOUR.

And you're taking a lot of the video and making stuff up.

You're assuming there were 4 SWAT members because the frame of the video only showed 4. Could have been 20, true or false?

It's logical to assume the SWAT team, whether it was 4 or 20 men, was behind Babbit and the rioters the whole time of the video. Logic also dictates that's why the FOUR security officers walked away, the SWAT team was going to clear the hallway.

None of this matters, you're just trying to be disagreeable. I said it was a clean shoot. 100$ legal and justified. I was just trying to correct some hyperbolic memories of the event.

And how do your accusations against me stack up against the TOS? Should we find out?

[Grokenstein]

9. And of COURSE rightwankers on Twitter are claiming "hypocrisy."

They can't (or just pretend they can't) understand the difference between the shooting of Babbitt and the murder of George Floyd. If SHE "should have complied" then all of these unjustified stops and executions are justified as far as they're concerned.

[appleannie1]

16. Since they insist it was BLM people in disguise, why do they care if she was shot?

[mobeau69]

10. Another dead Trump cult member.

[oldsoftie]

12. If they'd shot the first 4-5 breaking thru those windows, it likely would've ended right there.

Letting them in constantly retreating was a mistake.

[MontanaMama]

18. THIS.

[WarGamer]

26. Shoot the ones breaking windows or breaking then entering?

[oldsoftie]

31. As soon as they entered. They'd been warned. They would've quickly turned & left.

And especially that one cop we all saw being crushed in the doorway; he should've opened fire immediately.
And i feel that way regardless of who is the attacker

[KG]

13. bet she believed they wouldn't shoot her, till they did.

[appleannie1]

14. The reason Mike Pence and a couple high ranking Dems are still alive. He saved lives.

[WarGamer]

21. Evidence suggests otherwise

Look at the situation.

You have a door. One cop on the Congress side of the door. 20 ne'er do wells in the middle and a large team of heavily armed SWAT officers 10 feet away on the other side of the rioters.

It was a clean shoot, if not possibly unnecessary.

[LanternWaste]

27. Inference rather than evidence

[WarGamer]

28. You do realize that evidence is an essential part of inference, right?

The evidence is the positioning of the people and the structure of the hallway.

That evidence can be used to make an inference.

An inference is an educated guess.

[EndlessWire]

38. Oh, I think it was necessary.

It broke my heart to see this person shot, but she put herself in danger. At the point that she was actively advancing through the breach, she was shot. And then, they all kind of stopped and retreated. Or, began rendering aid.

No matter how many law enforcement guys were behind them, or amongst them, the crowd did not seem at all concerned with them. That put awful pressure on the guy holding the line there at the door. I think he did the right thing. He was defending that hallway no matter what. If he did not do it, and the door was breached, no telling what would have happened. And, they would have gotten the officer's gun.

I blame Donald John Trump for all of this. HE INCITED THAT RIOT. He clearly made a speech urging them to do what they did. He was the effing pResident. He's sitting there in the luxury of Mar a Lago, while others are in their graves. He is despicable.

Other countries arrest everybody in sight and execute them. We don't. We will spend millions giving them their day in court, because that's who we are. We are a nation of laws. And, that prick Trump got away scot free. He should be in jail under indictment. But, no, his Repub buddies saved him. Shame on all of them!

I feel bad for the girl, for the officer dragged into the hostile crowd and beaten, for the officer who was crushed in the door, and for all the injured or killed defenders. I even feel bad for the woman who was trampled to death, or who od, or whatever. She still died serving Trump's purpose. The whole thing was sickening.

It was still a coup attempt. It was not a party, or a protest, or anything tamer. It was a coup attempt on our government. The mixed up thing is, most of those thousands of people didn't understand what was going on. At least, that's what I'm thinking.

We seem to have a serious problem with maturity. What happened?? Sunspots??

[WarGamer]

39. that's a fair assessment...

I'm always looking for options.

I don't like it when cops roll up on a 12 year old boy with a toy gun and shoot him.

Was it *legal? Yeah, I guess.

But sometimes maybe it's better to use a LITTLE extra effort to prevent the taking of a life.

Why didn't the cops give Tamir Rice a chance by getting out of the car on the side opposite from him, using the vehicle as cover to draw their guns and order him to drop the (toy) gun?

Police have BROAD latitude in using deadly force. But that doesn't mean they can't be a little less antsy to use it.

I wish the public could read the report about the Babbit shooting.

Here's what I saw.

FOUR Capitol Security officers were standing in front of the door. 3 uniformed and one off to the right, in a suit, tie and black mask.

While they were standing in front of the door, the crowd of rioters was standing back. One of the rioters even turned his back to the door and put his arms up, like asking the rioters to back off from the door.

All hell broke loose when the FOUR security officers left the doorway.

Why'd they do that? The crowd wasn't pressing them at that point, it even seemed like a bit of a lull.

Did they move away because that was when the SWAT team was clearing the hallway?



One more time.

I DON'T LIKE seeing PEOPLE die.

I like it even LESS when it's the Gov't (Local, State or Federal) doing it.

[Paladin]

15. Good. (nt)

[WarGamer]

19. It was clearly justified and legal.

10 feet away from the door in question was a large team of heavily armed SWAT officers.

The undercover officer probably was unaware of their presence on the other side of the door otherwise he wouldn't have shot in their direction.

Either way... no foul.

[barbtries]

23. he saved lives with that shot.

they were about to be right there with lawmakers. that's my take on it after watching so many videos.

[totodeinhere]

29. I agree with this decision and in the long run it will be of benefit to communities

that are often abused by the police. To be credible, any movement to fight police brutality and other police wrongs must not turn into a railroad job. Any police officer accused of wrongdoing must be allowed due process. And of course any who are found to realty have committed abuse must face the legal consequences. That blue wall of silence must be dismantled for good.

[bucolic_frolic]

30. The number of police forces that would tolerate that level of assault and not discharge weaponry?

What muddled directives they had. Were they guarding the Capitol, and members of Congress? Or were they being friendly to a rowdy tourist protest?

So you think that riot would have been allowed free reign in New York City? Or Philly?

[Maxheader]

32. Duh wingers...

Are already whining about it...fuckem...