The U.S. Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Trump a supporter who took part in the storming of the Capitol on January 6th won’t face charges, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
In a press release announcing the decision, the Justice Department said the investigation did not find evidence that the officer had violated any federal laws, and there was nothing to contradict that he believed it was necessary to shoot at 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt “in self-defense and in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber” as a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol.
“Officials examined video footage posted on social media, statements from the officer involved and other officers and witnesses to the events, physical evidence from the scene of the shooting, and the results of an autopsy” and “based on that investigation, officials determined that there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution,” the DOJ statement said, according to NBC News.
The probe found “Babbitt was among a mob of people that entered the Capitol building and gained access to a hallway outside ‘Speaker’s Lobby,’ which leads to the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. At the time, the USCP was evacuating Members from the Chamber, which the mob was trying to enter from multiple doorways.”
The release also gave a harrowing account of what the officer, who was not identified, was facing at the time of the attack.
“The mob attempted to break through the doors by striking them and breaking the glass with their hands, flagpoles, helmets, and other objects. Eventually, the three USCP officers positioned outside the doors were forced to evacuate. As members of the mob continued to strike the glass doors, Ms. Babbitt attempted to climb through one of the doors where glass was broken out.”
The officer “fired one round from his service pistol, striking Ms. Babbitt in the left shoulder, causing her to fall back from the doorway and onto the floor,” the statement said. “A USCP emergency response team, which had begun making its way into the hallway to try and subdue the mob, administered aid to Ms. Babbitt, who was transported to Washington Hospital Center, where she succumbed to her injuries”.
