Family of pro-Trump rioter Ashli Babbitt is suing the US government with a $30 MILLION lawsuit over her January 6 shooting death after the Capitol police officer who shot her was acquitted
- Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt's husband, Aaron, has filed a $30 million lawsuit accusing the government of 'wrongful death, assault and battery and various negligence issues'
- She was shot and killed inside the Capitol building by then-Lieutenant Michael Byrd of the U.S. Capitol Police
- The lawsuit claims she was unarmed and had no unlawful purposes
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The husband of the January 6, 2021 rioter who was shot and killed by an officer has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the U.S. government.
Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, 35, was shot and killed inside the Capitol by then-Lieutenant Michael Byrd of the U.S. Capitol Police.
She died of injuries at Washington Hospital Center and the investigator ruled her death a homicide.
Her husband, Aaron Babbitt, has now filed a $30 million lawsuit accusing the government of “wrongful death, assault and various negligence issues.”
Attorneys from Judicial Watch, a conservative legal activist group, filed the lawsuit in California federal court on behalf of Aaron and his estate.
Lt. Michael Byrd shot Babbitt in the shoulder as she tried to climb through a window into the House Speaker's lobby during the riot by Trump supporters – she later died
Her husband, Aaron Babbitt, has now filed a $30 million lawsuit accusing the government of “wrongful death, assault and various negligence issues.”
The couple was from San Diego and Ashli had traveled to Washington that day to participate in the meeting.
The lawsuit alleges that the officer “violated multiple applicable standards of care governing the safe use of a firearm; the perception and assessment of immediate threats; use of force levels and escalation/de-escalation of force; the perception and assessment of relevant facts; the use of warnings; background firing and obtaining timely, appropriate medical attention, among other violations to be determined through discovery.”
It also says Ashli was unarmed and “her hands were in the air, empty and clearly visible to Byrd and other officers in the Speaker's lobby.”
The documents say she did not go to Washington as “part of a group for any unlawful or nefarious purpose.”
The lawsuit also states: “Sergent. Timothy Lively, one of the armed officers who guarded the lobby doors from the hallway, later told officers investigating the shooting, “I saw him…there's no way that woman could have seen that.”
'Lt. Byrd, who was not in uniform, did not identify himself as a police officer or otherwise make his presence known to Ashli. Lt. Byrd gave Ashli no warnings or orders before shooting her.”
According to Air Force records, Babbitt served multiple tours in the Middle East from 2004 to 2016
Kayla Joyce (left) was the live-in girlfriend of Ashli and Aaron Babbitt.
Babbitt served multiple tours in the Middle East from 2004 to 2016, according to Air Force records.
She had expressed support for former President Donald Trump and promoted conservative activists and leaders of the QAnon conspiracy theory movement.
On the day of the storming, Ashli is said to have walked peacefully about a mile to the Capitol.
Two undercover Metropolitan Police officers followed her closely as she climbed the stairs to the West Terrace and entered the Capitol on the Senate side.
She had reached the Speaker's lobby when the shooting occurred.
Court documents show Byrd shot Ashli on the spot as she lifted herself into the opening of the right door's side window.
He later confessed that he shot Ashli before seeing her hands, assessing her intentions or even identifying her as a woman.
Video shows her on the ground after being shot in the shoulder and surrounded by other witnesses.
After an internal investigation, Byrd was acquitted in August 2021.
No court date has yet been set.