Aug 23, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Internal investigation clears Capitol Police officer who killed Ashli Babbitt

Shawna Chen

Photo of a door that shows an American flag through the glass on one side and a crack in the glass on the other — A door window smashed by demonstrators in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. Photo: Erin Scott/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Capitol Police officer who killed Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol insurrection has been cleared of any wrongdoing, the department announced Monday.

Why it matters: Babbitt, an Air Force veteran from California, was among a mob of rioters who used a flagpole against the barricaded doors. The officer shot Babbitt as she attempted to force her way through a broken window into the Speaker's Lobby just off the House chamber floor.

The officer was placed on administrative leave within days.

Driving the news: An internal investigation found that the officer followed department policy, which allows use of deadly force only when an officer reasonably expects serious physical harm to themselves or others.

USCP is withholding the officer's name because he and his family "have been the subject of numerous credible and specific threats for actions that were taken as part of the job of all our officers: defending the Congress, members, staff and the democratic process," the department said. He will not face internal discipline.

The big picture: Former President Trump has denigrated the officer and lauded Babbitt as a so-called martyr since Jan. 6.

Federal prosecutors said there was "insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution" earlier in the year.
Babbitt's family has sued Washington, D.C., for records revealing the identity of the officer who shot her.

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Internal investigation clears Capitol Police officer who killed Ashli Babbitt

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