Investigators recommend no charges for US Capitol Police officer accused of killing pro-Trump rioter during insurrection
Investigators have recommended that prosecutors decline to bring charges against a US Capitol Police officer in the shooting of a pro-Trump rioter who was killed during the insurrection, according to people familiar with the matter.
The shooting of pro-Trump rioter, Ashli Babbitt, remains under investigation by the DC Metropolitan Police, the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC, and civil rights prosecutors, a routine process for shootings involving the Capitol Police. A final decision hasn’t been made, the people familiar with the probe told CNN.
Justice Department officials could make a final decision in the coming days.
CNN has reached out to Metropolitan Police and the US Attorney’s Office in DC for comment. The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the recommendation.
Babbitt was fatally shot as the mob tried to force its way toward the House Chamber where members of Congress were sheltering, US Capitol Police said in a statement. She was given medical assistance immediately and taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Babbitt was an ardent Trump supporter who held strong political views, her mother previously told CNN, and was “passionate enough to die for what she believed in.”
Babbitt, who was previously married but separated from her husband in 2019, frequently attended pro-Trump rallies. She flew to Washington, DC, from San Diego, California, with the intent to participate in the protest, her mother said.
A CNN review of Babbitt’s social media accounts determined Babbitt frequently voiced support for Trump and other Republican figures on Facebook. She also shared content promoting political conspiracy theories often pushed by far-right figures.
Babbitt served as a senior airman in the US Air Force from 2004 to 2008 under the name Ashli Elizabeth McEntee, according to military records. She was a member of the Air Force Reserve from 2008 to 2010 and was in the Air National Guard from 2010 until November 2016, records show.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
