For many within the MAGA Movement, Ashli Babbitt has become a bit of a martyr.
Babbitt, a young woman who found herself attempting to breach a restricted area of the Capitol on January 6th, was shot dead by Capitol Police as she began to crawl through a window just feet away from where lawmakers were holding up, attempting to evade the violent mob.
Now, after an internal review, the officer involved in Babbitt’s death will face no repercussions.
“After interviewing multiple witnesses and reviewing all the available evidence, including video and radio calls, the United States Capitol Police has completed the internal investigation into the fatal shooting of Ms. Ashli Babbitt, which occurred in the Speaker’s Lobby on January 6,” the department said in a statement.
Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) determined the officer’s conduct was lawful and within Department policy, which says an officer may use deadly force only when the officer reasonably believes that action is in the defense of human life, including the officer’s own life, or in the defense of any person in immediate danger of serious physical injury.”
The officer, who is not being named to protect the officer’s safety, will not face disciplinary action from the department.
The move is sure to irk the far right, who’ve been clamoring for the Capitol Police department to not only discipline the officer, but to also release their identity – a move that could lead to violence against them.
