BEVERLY HILLS, January 07, (THEWILL) – The woman shot dead by police during Wednesday’s siege of the U.S. Capitol has been identified by police as Ashli Babbitt, a U.S. Air Force veteran.
The U.S. Capitol Police, who confirmed her identity in a statement, said the 35-year-old woman was shot by an officer as protesters were forcing their way into the House Chamber. Police said she later died of her injuries in a hospital.
Three other people, two men and a woman who were on the Capitol grounds died as a result of unspecified “medical emergencies,” Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department said.
Babbitt served in the U.S. Air Force as a senior airwoman while on active duty from 2004 to 2008, the Air Force said in a statement.
She also served in the Air Force Reserve between 2008 and 2010, and in the Air National Guard from 2010 until 2016, the statement added.
“She served in the military with her ex-husband, Timothy McEntee, and did at least one tour in Iraq. I felt shock and sadness at the news of her death”, Sean McEntee. her former brother-in-law, said.
Babbitt was an ardent supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, and her posts on Twitter endorsed Trump’s assertions that he was defeated because Democrats elaborately rigged the Nov. 3 election.
The day before, she 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!”
Her husband, Aaron, said Ashli Babbitt had traveled to Washington with friends to join Wednesday’s rally,
Aarin said he sent her a text message checking her status about 30 minutes before the shooting but never heard back.
“She loved her country and she was doing what she thought was right to support her country, joining up with like-minded people that also love their president and their country. She was voicing her opinion and she got killed for it”, he added.
Robin Babbitt, who identified herself as Ashli Babbitt’s mother-in-law on Twitter, wrote “Can’t stop crying. … She was such a wonderful kind person, and a serious military woman. Strong, Smart, Kind.”
The officer who killed Babbitt, whose identity has not been released, is on administrative leave while the shooting is being investigated, the Capitol Police said in a statement.
