WASHINGTON — The unidentified Capitol Police officer involved in the fatal Ashli Babbitt shooting has now been cleared on multiple levels.
The unnamed officer in question who fatally shot Babbitt as she climbed through a window pane of the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 riot has been formally exonerated after an internal investigation, the department memo revealed Friday.
According to NBC News, a memo from the commander of the Capitol Police’s Office of Personal Responsibility states that “no further action will be taken in this matter.”
The officer’s identity remains shrouded in mystery, which is quite different than other police personnel involved in fatal shootings around the country. Politics seem to be offering a level of protection since the action was taken against “Trump supporters” who tried to enter the Capitol.
Rioters said their displeasure was primarily due to an abundance of unanswered questions created by the outcome of the 2020 election.
Viral video of the fatal shooting showed Babbitt in front of a crowd of rioters who had gained access to a hallway outside the “Speaker’s Lobby,” which leads to the House chamber. Yet the angle on the video did not show the officer involved in the fatal shooting.
On the federal level, the Justice Department announced back in April that no charges were being brought against the Capitol Police officer. The exoneration by the Capitol Police concludes the last remaining investigation into the incident, Post Millennial reported.
According to DOJ, the federal investigation did not find evidence “to establish beyond a reasonable doubt” that the officer had violated any federal laws and that there was nothing to contradict that he believed it was necessary to shoot at Babbitt “in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber.”
“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 Department of Justice statement added.
Babbitt’s family has filed a lawsuit seeking to acquire details that have been concealed from the public during multiple inquiries. They also seek $10 million in damages, Law Officer reported.
Babbitt’s husband described the 14-year Air Force veteran as a “strong supporter of President Trump” and a “great patriot,” according to KUSI-TV in San Diego.
According to Capitol Police, the name of the officer has not been released since it is “standard procedure when there are concerns for an officer’s safety, as there are in this case,” Forbes reported.
“A rookie police officer would not have shot this woman,” Babbitt family attorney Terry Roberts told Newsweek.
“If she committed any crime by going through the window and into the Speaker’s Lobby, it would have been trespassing. Some misdemeanor crime. All a rookie cop would have done is arrest her.”
Roberts claimed there were plenty of officers at the scene who could’ve assisted with a detention and arrest.
“What it looks like is this guy shot this lady for no legitimate law enforcement purpose. And you know, they ought to be pretty ashamed of that,” he said.
“You would probably expect this kind of thing to happen in Russia, where people get bumped off and you don’t know why they get bumped off.”
Economic losses from Babbitt’s death would total $2 million and non-economic claims would push the sum to about $10 million, according to Roberts.
