The husband of Ashli Babbitt, who was killed during the January 6 Capitol riot, filed a complaint in DC Superior Court, accusing the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) of violating the District’s law by not providing him with the identity of the officer who fatally shot his wife.
Aaron Babbitt reportedly filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in April and demanded the release of a video showing his wife’s last moments, witness statements, and documents that reveal the identity of the Capitol Police officer who shot her.
MPD, which was in charge of the investigation into Babbitt’s death, has failed to comply with the DC FOIA Act by not disclosing the requested documents, according to the complaint filed last week.
On April 14, the Department of Justice said in a press release that it would not pursue criminal charges against the US Capitol Police officer involved in the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt.
“The investigation revealed no evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer willfully committed a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242,” the Department said in the release. “Specifically, the investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot at Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber. Acknowledging the tragic loss of life and offering condolences to Ms. Babbitt’s family, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Department of Justice have therefore closed the investigation into this matter.”
Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran from San Diego, was shot by an officer while she was attempting to climb through a barricaded door, where glass was broken out. She was shot by an officer inside the Speaker’s Lobby. Injured in the left shoulder, she fell back from the doorway and onto the floor, according to officials. She was then transported to Washington Hospital Center, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Babbitt, who described herself as a “veteran” and a “libertarian” in her Twitter bio, said in a tweet ahead of the January 6 insurrection, “Nothing will stop us… they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours… dark to light!”
In a previous video dated November 2018, Babbitt criticized politicians’ inaction about the US-Mexico border issue, while they focus on President Trump’s moves.
In April 2021, the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Francisco Diaz published its report on the causes of death for four Capitol rioters who died on January 6. The report concluded that Babbitt died due to a gunshot wound to her left shoulder, her death was a “homicide.”