He acted in accordance with the rules of his work, says the internal investigation. The U.S. police officer who shot dead a female protester on Jan.6, when a group of Donald Trump supporters stormed congressional headquarters in Washington, has been cleared, Capitol Police said on Monday.
The officer shot Ashli Babbitt, 35, as she tried to force a door with dozens of other protesters. She was a former soldier and a staunch supporter of the then Republican president, who came to protest against Democrat Joe Biden’s certification of victory.
“After interviewing several witnesses and reviewing available evidence, including radio and video calls,” the Capitol Police Professional Accountability Office “determined that the officer’s behavior had been legal and in accordance with department policy, according to which an agent may use lethal force when he reasonably believes that this action is intended to protect human life, including the life of the agent himself ”.
Actions that may have saved “staff members”
The policeman, who has not been identified for his own safety, will not face internal disciplinary action, a statement said. “This agent and his family have been subjected to several credible and specific threats” for an act that occurred “in the course of the work of all of our agents: defending Congress, its members, its staff and the process. democratic ”.
Police say the officer’s actions “potentially saved members and staff (of Congress) from serious injury and possible death” in the face of “a large crowd of rioters.”
VIDEO. Ashli Babbitt, the woman fatally injured by police shooting at the Capitol
For many supporters of Donald Trump, Ashli Babbitt is a martyr. The former president called his death murder.
On January 6, hundreds of pro-Trump protesters forced entry into Congress as parliamentarians gathered to certify Joe Biden’s victory over the incumbent Republican president. Nearly 600 people have since been arrested for their participation in the deadly attack.
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