Months after the Department of Justice (DOJ) opted not to charge the unnamed U.S. Capitol Police officer who killed Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6, a memo obtained by NBC News indicates the investigation will be fully closed.
Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, was shot by the “service pistol” of an officer during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. She was trying to climb through a smashed glass door near the Speaker’s lobby. After receiving assistance from a Capitol Police emergency response team, Babbitt died at Washington Hospital Center.
The memo, written by the commander of the Capitol Police’s Office of Personal Responsibility, states that “no further action will be taken in this matter,” according to NBC. The information comes on the heels of the DOJ announcing in April that it would not levy charges against the officer.
“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,” the department said in a press release at the time.
Shortly after the DOJ’s decision in April, Babbitt’s family unveiled a $10 million lawsuit against the Capitol police. The suit was filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which permits compensation in the case of “a personal injury or death, caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of a Government employee while acting within the scope of his or her office or employment, under circumstances where the United States, if a private person, would be liable in accordance with the law of the place where the act or omission occurred.”
Two weeks ago, Babbitt’s mother criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein for never getting back to her after reaching out. Babbitt served in the Middle East from 2004 to 2016 on multiple tours.
Yesterday on my podcast I interviewed #AshliBabbitt’s mom Micki. Listen to this honest, disturbing, moving conversation about who Ashli was, why she went to DC on January 6, and why she was denied a military burial https://t.co/tCwrBlpZgL
— Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) August 12, 2021
The Capitol Police did not immediately respond to The Federalist’s request for comment.
Gabe Kaminsky is a senior contributor for The Federalist. His writing has been featured in The American Conservative, the American Mind, the New York Post, and other outlets. Follow him on Twitter @Gabe__Kaminsky or email [email protected]
Source: DOJ Shuts Down Investigation Into Capitol Police Shooting Of Ashli Babbitt