A new, graphic video has emerged that shows the moment a plainclothes Capitol Police officer shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the storming of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.
You can watch the video below, but be aware that it’s deeply troubling because it captures the exact moment that the police officer shoots Babbitt as she tries to come through a window into the Speaker’s lobby. The officer is standing to the left side of the doorway, which has been barricaded with chairs. You can see his extended hand with gun before he opens fire. The officer has not yet been identified.
Babbitt was part of a mob of people, some identified as QAnon and Trump supporters, who pushed their way into the U.S. Capitol building on January 6 as Congress was debating certifying the electoral college votes. Capitol police were injured, the Senate chambers were breached, the vice president was rushed to safety, and property was carried off.
Babbitt was a San Diego-area Trump supporter, Air Force veteran, pool services company owner, and QAnon follower, according to a review of her social media accounts. You can read more about her life and death here.
Here’s what you need to know:
Police Say That Protesters Were Forcing Their Way Toward the House Chamber Where ‘Members of Congress Were Sheltering in Place’
FacebookAshli Babbitt.
Capitol Police identified Babbitt as the woman who was shot.
“United States Capitol Police (USCP) officers and our law enforcement partners responded valiantly when faced with thousands of individuals involved in violent riotous actions as they stormed the United States Capitol Building. These individuals actively attacked United States Capitol Police Officers and other uniformed law enforcement officers with metal pipes, discharged chemical irritants, and took up other weapons against our officers. They were determined to enter into the Capitol Building by causing great damage,” the Capitol Police wrote in a news release.
“As protesters were forcing their way toward the House Chamber where Members of Congress were sheltering in place, a sworn USCP employee discharged their service weapon, striking an adult female. Medical assistance was rendered immediately, and the female was transported to the hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries. She has been identified as Ashli Babbitt.”
Police added: “As per the USCP’s policy, the USCP employee has been placed on administrative leave and their police powers have been suspended pending the outcome of a joint Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and USCP investigation.” The officer has not been named.
Capitol Police Also Found Pipe Bombs in the Area
The Capitol police added in the press conference: “As these other violent events were unfolding across the Capitol Complex, the USCP officers were simultaneously responding to a report of a pipe bomb in the 300 block of First Street, SE, and a second pipe bomb in the 400 block of Canal Street, SE. A suspicious vehicle was also identified in the 300 block of First Street, SE, at this time.”
They continued:
The USCP Hazardous Materials Response Team determined that both devices were, in fact, hazardous and could cause great harm to public safety. The devices were disabled and turned over to the FBI for further investigation and analysis.
The suspicious vehicle was thoroughly investigated by the USCP, FBI, and ATF. It has been cleared of any hazards. The USCP arrested the vehicle’s owner along with 13 additional suspects for unlawful entry of the U.S. Capitol. The USCP is continuing to review surveillance video and open source material to identify others who may be subject to criminal charges.
In a press conference, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser thanked the “men and women of the Metropolitan Police department” for helping quickly restore order to the Capitol Building. She said their acts demonstrated what ‘true patriotism is.” She called the security failures “catastrophic.” She called for the prosecution of “any individual who entered the Capitol, destroyed property, or incited acts of domestic terrorism observed yesterday.” She called it an “unprecedented attack on our Democracy” and accused President Trump of “wanting it to happen.”
She said “what happened yesterday is textbook terrorism,” referring to those who stormed the Capitol as “domestic terrorism.” DC Metropolitan Police said in a news conference that they helped “restore Democracy” for all of America. They provided to a “swift response to an escalating situation.”
The U.S. Capitol Police, in a press release, also released the names of those accused of “unlawful entry.” They are
Leonard Guthrie, Cape May, NJ; John Anderson, St. Augustine, FL; Matthew Council, Riverview, FL; Bradley Ruskelas, Inverness, IL; Michael Curzio, Summerfield, FL; Cindy Fitchett, Cobbs Creek, VA.
READ NEXT: The Life & Death of Nashville Bomber Anthony Quinn Warner