Woman fatally shot as Capitol stormed ID'd as Air Force veteran
Ashli Babbitt was one of four fatalities from the violent rioting
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WASHINGTON – When a group of pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol and smashed windows on Wednesday, a woman jumped onto a pane and started through.
Seconds later, a gunshot rang out and the woman, who had a Trump flag tied around her waist, tipped back and fell onto the marble floor as blood spilled from her shoulder.
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“They shot a girl!” someone yelled as the crowd ran out of the southeast entrance.
She died later that day, police said. She was one of four fatalities from the violent rioting that wreaked havoc through the halls of Congress on Wednesday, halting the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Three others died of unspecified medical emergencies during the chaos.
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The woman was 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, a California native and Air Force veteran, her former husband told The Washington Post. Before her death in the Capitol, she had used her social media to express fervent support for President Donald Trump and echo many of the president’s conspiracy theories and false claims of mass voter fraud.
Police have not yet confirmed Babbitt’s identity or confirmed details about how she was shot. The woman was shot by U.S. Capitol Police, Washington D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III told reporters on Wednesday.
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Babbitt, a native of San Diego, served in Afghanistan and Iraq in the Air Force before other deployments with the National Guard to Kuwait and Qatar, ex-husband Timothy McEntee told The Post. McEntee and Babbitt met in the Air Force and were married for 14 years, before splitting in May 2019.
McEntee, who did not know Babbitt had travelled to D.C. for the protests, was shocked by the news of her death and described her as smart and strong-willed.
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“I feel absolutely terrible and sick to my stomach about it,” he wrote in a text message. “She was never afraid to speak her mind and in a way this was her way of speaking her mind (going to the rally).”
McEntee said Babbitt had remarried and owned a pool supply company with her husband, Aaron Babbitt.
Babbitt’s mother-in-law told WTTG, who did not identify her by name, that her son did not accompany Babbitt to Washington.
A protester holds a Trump flag inside the US Capitol Building near the Senate Chamber on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
A protester is seen hanging from the balcony in the Senate Chamber on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
A pro-Trump protester carries the lectern of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi through the Roturnda of the U.S. Capitol Building after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
A pro-Trump mob breaks into the U.S. Capitol on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
A member of a pro-Trump mob bashes an entrance of the Capitol Building in an attempt to gain access on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump climb on walls at the U.S. Capitol during a protest against the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith
A supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump yells at counter-demonstrators and members of the press at a rally in support of Trump at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Oregon, U.S. January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester
Pro-Trump protesters storm into the U.S. Capitol during clashes with police, during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, in Washington, U.S, January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
A pro-Trump mob confronts U.S. Capitol police outside the Senate chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Pro-Trump protesters storm into the U.S. Capitol during clashes with police, during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, in Washington, U.S, January 6, 2021. Photo by Shannon Stapleton /REUTERS
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump fight with riot police outside the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, DC.Photo by Roberto Schmidt /AFP via Getty Images
Pro-Trump protesters attempt to tear down a police barricade during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S., on Jan. 6, 2021.Photo by Shannon Stapleton
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump protest in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S., on Jan. 6, 2021.Photo by Stephanie Keith /REUTERS
A supporter of President Donald Trump sits inside the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as he protest inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, January 6, 2021. Photo by SAUL LOEB /AFP via Getty Images
Supporters of President Donald Trump enter the U.S. Capitol's Rotunda as tear gas smoke fills a corridor on Jan 6, 2021, in Washington.Photo by SAUL LOEB /AFP via Getty Images
Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the US Capitol Rotunda on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington D.C on January 6, 2021. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the US Capitol Rotunda on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the US Capitol Rotunda on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Supporters of US President Donald Trump enter the US Capitol as tear gas fills the corridor on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
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“I really don’t know why she decided to do this,” she said.
In an interview with San Diego station KUSI, Babbitt’s husband said she was a passionate Trump supporter. McEntee echoed those sentiments, adding that she was “very loud and opinionated, but caring, sweet, thoughtful, loving.”
“You would never forget meeting her,” he wrote.
On social media, Babbitt recorded combative videos about immigration policy, while expressing her support for a border wall. In early September, she tweeted a picture from a Trump boat parade in San Diego wearing a shirt that said, “We are Q,” referring to QAnon, the far-right conspiracy theory. The tweet also included the hashtag “#WWG1WGA,” an acronym used by supporters who believe in the claims that Trump was battling a group of “deep state” child abusers.
Babbitt also retweeted messages calling for Vice President Pence to resign and be charged with treason, videos of Trump rallies and photos of the president’s supporters flying to D.C. for the protests.
In one of her final posts, she responded to a tweet saying that many flights to D.C. were cancelled because of weather. “The entire world is corrupt,” the person said.
In response, Babbitt wrote: “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!”
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