Video shows fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt in the Capitol

[LiberalArkie]

Jan. 8, 2021 at 11:57 a.m. CST
Two previously unreported video clips obtained by The Washington Post shed new light on the fatal shooting by police of Trump supporter and Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt as she and other rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Babbitt and others were attempting to breach a barricaded door inside the Capitol building on Wednesday afternoon, angrily demanding that three U.S. Capitol Police officers who were guarding the door step aside, one of the clips shows. The officers moved away as colleagues in tactical gear arrived behind the rioters, according to the clip and other video posted online.

Roughly 35 seconds after the officers moved away, as she climbed up toward a broken section of the unguarded door, Babbitt was shot by an officer on the other side.

Snip

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/01/08/ashli-babbitt-shooting-video-capitol/?utm_source=digg

[msongs]

1. why did the police abandon their duties and move away. they had a bunch with big guns coming

up the stairs to support them. the rioters did not appear to be armed.

[Ellipsis]

11. The guns were coming to evacuate them first...

then I imagine they were going to take their positions at the door.

[Demsrule86]

60. They were getting out of the way of those with guns who prepared to shoot protestors if

they broke through...you hear them...they are ready. And they move away...there were elected in there which is why these terrorists including the woman who died who no doubt had zip ties were after. She was air force...she knew better.

[liberalmuse]

2. I read somewhere this was the same hallway Pence was evacuated through moments before.

I can't find any confirmation, though, but it would explain why they started shooting once it was clear the hall was about to be fully breached.

[aeromanKC]

3. If the terrorists breached those doors they would have had access to the House Floor just feet away.

There was a reason she was shot as soon as she got her head through that broken window/door and into the Speaker's Hallway.

[Moostache]

4. Got what she deserved...

Only surprise to me is that MORE of them weren't shot....WTF is wrong with the guy who was PUNCHING the glass on those doors? Was he high on something or wearing brass knuckles? That would have broken his hand by the looks of it early in that video...

She is a dead terrorist. No better than Mohammed Atta, and I have zero fucks to give for either of them, period.

[BeyondGeography]

5. Capitol Police 'didn't have a choice' in shooting Ashli Babbitt, GOP lawmaker says

“They were trying to come through the front door, which is where I was at in the chamber, and in the back they were trying to come through the speaker’s lobby, and that’s problematic when you’re trying to defend two fronts,” Mullin said.

“When they broke the glass in the back, the [Capitol Police] lieutenant that was there — him and I already had multiple conversations prior to this — and he didn’t have a choice at the time.

“The mob was going to come through the door, and there was a lot of [House] members and staff that were in danger at the time,” he added.

“And when he [drew] his weapon, that’s a decision that’s very hard for anyone to make and, once you draw your weapon like that, you have to defend yourself with deadly force.”

https://nypost.com/2021/01/07/capitol-police-didnt-have-a-choice-in-shooting-pro-trump-rioter-lawmaker-says/

[coeur_de_lion]

6. Here is the graphic video of the woman being shot - please don't watch if you're sensitive

You can see her from behind, she's wearing a backpack. You see her rise up to climb through the broken window, then she falls right back down following the shot.

[link:

&bpctr=1610138967|

[dware]

18. And let us remember that earlier in the day,

2 pipe bombs had been discovered and disarmed, so for all the police knew, she had a bomb or other weapons in that back pack, the officer really had no choice, and she paid the ultimate price for a man that doesn't give a fuck about her.

[coeur_de_lion]

46. Really tragic but true.

They were yelling from the other side of the door for her to stop.

3 coequal branches of government. Pelosi is 3rd in line for the presidency. Protecting her is as important as protecting 45 or Pence.

My husband has a saying; if you're gonna be dumb you gotta be tough.

No one is tougher than a bullet.

[3Hotdogs]

7. Somehow, I think the cop-shooter was wrong on this.

He was behind doors which were not breeched. He was not in physical danger. No one behind the door was in physical danger. It is doubtful he could see a target through the shattered glass.

[SMC22307]

10. The doors were being breached. The shot woman was climbing through a fucking opening.

One man with a gun was to hold back that mob? Evidenly these rabid MAGATs had maps of the tunnels -- they needed to be stopped.

Actions have consequences, Ashli. And that's a really clear video so hopefully many more arrests will be forthcoming.

[Ellipsis]

14. Agreed. Had she gotten through the door she would have removed the barricade.

She crossed the threshold.

[SMC22307]

22. Exactly. I may be a bad person but I have no sympathy for her. Those three unarmed cops...

pressed up against the door getting screamed at by maskless MAGATs did not deserve that.

The angle from that video is really clear and the rioters can easily be identified. More firings and arrests forthcoming...

[Ellipsis]

28. I've been numb since the election on all this stuff.

It certainly wasn't unexpected and I thought it would be much worse. If things would gone down the wrong path, the orange anus could have declared Marshall law. I start wonder if that wasn't what he wanted all along.

There are cameras everywhere... I image microphones too, so when I hear that they were talking about hanging Pence and others. What choice did the really have.

Everyone of them need be put away for a long time.

I have no sympathy for her. For her family, yes.

[3Hotdogs]

48. I also have no sympathy for her but was any life in danger when she was shot?

Also, there was a post on D.U., yesterday. It proposed that the shot was aimed at the guy, seen in the video. It missed and hit her.

[Demsrule86]

62. She climbed through the window it was aimed at her.She was air force and was a trained killer.

There were elected in the next room...they could not be allowed to get in...she deserved it.

[Straw Man]

64. Yes. They were about to gain access to the House chamber.

You saw how insane and pumped up they were. What do you think they would have done when they got inside?

The people defending that hallway were vastly outnumbered. She got shot because she was the first one through the breach. Had she gained entrance, many more would have followed and removed the barriers. Then all hell would have broken loose. That was prevented with a single shot.

This was absolutely a justified shooting. The officer was defending the people he is sworn to defend.

[Sgent]

70. That was the last barrier

between the capital police and ninety odd reps in the speaker's cloakroom. The mob had sealed the other exit, had planted bombs earlier in the day, carried handcuffs and weapons, etc.

You cannot give up a strategic position in that type of situation because if you do they will kidnap 20% of the house.

[Blue_true]

72. Yes. If those terrorists had gotten past the barrier, they would have taken

Congresspeople hostage. Then there REALLY would have been a mess. That one shot ended all that.

[winstars]

16. Ahhh, she climbs thru and OPENS the door for the rest of the rabble? Ya think?

[11 Bravo]

20. Somehow I don't.

[dware]

21. Suppose she had a fucking bomb in that back pack?

She was fucking trying to climb through a window where lawmakers were sheltering.

She got exactly what she fucking deserved.

It's easy to sit here and second guess the officer, you weren't there, you don't have any fucking idea of the thoughts going through that woman's head, or for that matter, the officer.

[Crunchy Frog]

23. If that entire room full of terrorists had ended up lying in pools of their own blood

it would have been justified on the basis of where they were and what they were doing.

He was trying to protect the lives of our elected officials.

There are times when deadly force is necessary and justified, and this was one of them.

[meadowlander]

37. You're so right.

All those other mfers standing around shouting at the cops should be counting their lucky stars they walked out of that situation on two feet.

[Crunchy Frog]

50. And they need to all end up in prison, with the murder of Ashli among the convictions.

Because that's how the system works.

[Oneironaut]

27. An alternate thought for this to remember.

Mobs have a mind of their own. All logic goes out the window in favor of a group dynamic. If the shooter used a taser, the shooters would have been seen as non-lethal, and therefore less threatening by the crowd. If they tackled her, the mob’s instinct would have been to rush in and save her.

If she got through, it wouldn’t be just her. The first actor tests the waters. If she had non-lethal consequences, there might have been a rush through the window by some of those burly guys in the crowd. Putting your taser away and grabbing a gun takes time. The mob overtaking people with guns would be the worst event possible, especially being so close to the House floor. The line the dead woman crossed was a natural red line that allowing any protesters through would have put everyone trying to evacuate in grave danger.

[LeftInTX]

40. Agree..it wasn't just "her", it was an entire mob

Unfortunately, for her, she happened to be the one who was leading the breach. It could have been the two men at the doors, who mentioned seeing a gun. The mob had to be stopped. She was gonna get in and if she did, more people would have been shot.

[misanthrope]

84. Yep, and what happened after that lone shot?

The mob retreated from that point.

[UnderThisLaw]

29. Yeah you're right

Now if the armed fascist insurrectionist mob had put those annoying short pants on the doors, then the shooting would have been justified.

[Ms. Toad]

31. Half of her body was though the opening.

There were 3 windows. Two were shattered; she was climbing through the unobstructed third window. Her head and part of her body were on his side of the door when he shot.

[treestar]

42. She has to have put him in reasonable threat of his life

Like she was reaching into her waistband for a purported gun (which never have been a good excuse on DU before).

[BarackTheVote]

66. There is a big freaking difference between

a cop shooting an unarmed black man or woman in their own home, or in the street, walking away, stumbling to their car to check on their kids, holding a toy gun, reaching for ID after informing the cops they were a legal gun-owner—and someone who is part of an angry mob that has already smashed their way into the capitol, and is attempting to breach a chamber where Representatives are present, backed by hundreds of others, all with ill intent!

Like, holy shit, you run up in a threatening manner on an elected representative and you expect not to be put down?? Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, should expect to have THAT much privilege.

Freaking context matters—this is comparing apples to freaking broccoli stalks!

[Demsrule86]

61. She was climbing through the window...no doubt many other would have followed...there

were elected still in there...Pence could have still been there... she had it coming...I feel nothing for this dangerous traitor. S

[kcr]

83. I think your definition of breech is incorrect

Which is probably the "somehow" in how you came to be wrong.

[KayF]

8. before the cops moved away from the door

they could have told the rioters "they're going to shoot you if you try to get in there".

Just a thought after watching that short video a couple of times.

[SMC22307]

19. The MAGAT on the left repeatedly yelled "there's a gun!" while pointing to it.

And it someone fucking storms the Capitol, shouldn't they expect guns? (n/t)

[KayF]

24. that's what made me think of it

it made me think, these people didn't realize that if they went further, the guns would come out. I saw video of the cops holding the doors open for them like it was a tour. These people basically thought they were allowed to be there. So this door was the limit, ok, it makes sense. The government leaders are on the other side. But it looks like there was time to communicate that.

Again, this is just my thought from that brief video.

[SMC22307]

41. Three unarmed cops were trying to keep them from breaking through those doors.

That should have triggered to that MAGATs that they were trying to enter an off-limit area. But, as an angry mob, they pushed ahead and attempted to break down the doors. One got shot. Government leaders were on the other side and the MAGATs knew it. Evidently they had maps to find the tunnels and navigate through them. Just how would you have stopped an angry mob? Ask them pretty-please to back up and go outside?

[Crunchy Frog]

47. Did they think they were allowed to be smashing in windows and doors?

[LiberalArkie]

32. They were white. All the disturbances that have happened, no cop has fired on white folks, just

those off white ones.

[SMC22307]

43. The woman killed was white. I don't know who shot her, do you?

Was it a Capitol Police officer? Secret Service? I'm not faulting Capitol Police officers for this abomination b/c I think the order came from the top -- let the rioters enter the Capitol and don't shoot. It's still early but I'm confident the truth will come out.

[LiberalArkie]

49. They are secret service.. Once she got her body through the opening an officer with a hand gun shot

Last edited Fri Jan 8, 2021, 08:31 PM - Edit history (1)

her. He was to the left in the video.

[SMC22307]

55. OK. And that MAGAT on the left yelled a couple of timese about a gun...

and pointed to it. Ashli brought this on herself.

[LiberalArkie]

57. They could not let her in. The police had no idea what was in the backpack. They knew

she was going to unlock the doors then everyone would stream in and there would have been plenty of congress people killed.

[SMC22307]

59. Exactly. Send in the smallest, open the doors for the rest, then wham!

Although she got whammed first. It's unfortunate someone lost their life but again, she brought this on herself.

[dware]

65. No they weren't.

The officer who shot the woman was a plainclothes Capitol PO, not Secret Service.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/capitol-police-officer-who-shot-woman-in-capitol-placed-on-leave/ar-BB1cyEMS

The U.S. Capitol Police said Thursday that an employee responsible for fatally shooting a rioter outside the House chamber has been placed on administrative leave and is under investigation.

A 35-year-old California woman and Air Force veteran, Ashli Babbitt, was among the mob that gathered in support of President Trump and broke into the Capitol on Wednesday to stop Congress from formally certifying President-elect Joe Biden's election victory.

Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund said in a statement that Babbitt was part of the group forcing its way toward the House chamber where lawmakers had not yet been evacuated.

Sund said that medical assistance was given to Babbitt "immediately" and she was transported to the hospital after being shot by the Capitol Police employee, who was not identified. But Babbitt ultimately died of her injuries later Wednesday.

[Blue_true]

75. So, was Speaker Pelosi, Senator President McConnell, or Senate President-elect

Schumer nearby, or someone else that was on top leadership? Plainclothes typically protect them.

[dware]

76. I don't know, the article doesn't say, but it could have been

a contingent of a combination of all 3.

[Blue_true]

77. It was a joint session, with Pence present, that was abruptly stopped. nt

[dware]

78. So it could have been a combination of Capitol Police and Secret Service.

Those LEO's most certainly saved many, many lives that day.

[Blue_true]

79. I agree.

Sometimes cops shoot people like with Tamir Rice and others, when they should have taken a couple of seconds to assess the situation. But this shooting was not in that category. I read that a senior officer shot her, he likely had the information about bombs being found in the Capitol, he knew there were many congresspeople trapped and hiding behind him, and he saw an enraged woman with a large bag trying to get through a window that had just been smashed out. The guy had no choice but to shoot her, because if she had gotten through, she could have had a bomb, or he would have had to make a choice to shoot her in the back when she tried to open the door to let the other terrorists in.

[dware]

80. +100.

Jesus, it scares the hell out of me just how close we came to losing our Democracy, and in the next few weeks/months, I think we're going to find out even more damning evidence against Pissolini and his criminal org.

Each and everyone of those officers should be awarded the Medal of Freedom the moment Joe Biden is sworn in, they earned it, unlike the sycophants that Pissolini has given it to, and I say given to because most of them didn't earn it except for being loyalists.

[Blue_true]

81. Had that woman had gotten through, others would have followed.

The few cops there would have been totally overwhelmed. There were something like 80 congresspeople trapped in that area. Imagine the potential for the hardcore among the Magats from the standpoint of holding hostages? The heavily armed officers that were making their way in would have had to retreat to prevent congresspeople from being harmed right away. We could have had an hours long or days long hostage standoff. Some of the hardcore swore to die for Trump, they likely would not have cared that they were going to prison for life if not killed on the spot, and they likely would not have had a problem with harming congresspeople that they hated.

There were surely Magats that just got carried away and got into something way over their heads, but if accounts are right, some people in that crowd had maps of tunnels and other escape points (HOW did they get those?), those people were deadly and intent on inflicting harm, IMO. Maybe Ashlii was one of the enraged Magats that got in over her head, or maybe she was part of the smaller group that planned on harming congresspeople once they got their hands on them.

[dware]

82. There is no doubt in my mind that they had inside help,

and those traitors need to be found out and brought to justice and a comprehensive review of all police forces, Federal, State, and local, to weed out the white supremacists in their ranks and put new laws and policies in place to see this never happens again.

[Blue_true]

73. If they were Secret Service, Pence was likely very nearby. nt

[LiberalArkie]

74. According to the previous reports, they had just escorted him out.

The Russian site purchased the video that is banned here.

[BannonsLiver]

35. When you can see a gun or guns drawn that is the time to take it seriously.

No other explanation is needed. When that is ignored then all bets are off at that point. I know if someone has a gun drawn on me, whoever they are, my first inclination would be one of compliance.

[meadowlander]

39. We don't know how many or what warnings they got before the tape starts.

Also, having a gun pointed in your face by secret service is usually all the warning a sane human being should need.

You can also hear something on the tape that sounds like warning shots coming from further down the hall.

[KayF]

44. I agree, there's a ton we don't know

[SMC22307]

9. She brought it on herself. Evidently these MAGAT terrorists had maps of the tunnels...

and needed to be stopped.

[BrightKnight]

12. That is a very good way to get a bullet in your head. nt

[SMC22307]

13. Nice, clear video of rabid MAGATs breaking down the door... more arrests and firings forthcoming.

Actions have consquences, Ashli. No sympathy.

[StarfishSaver]

15. Those cops must have been scared to death.

They had no equipment, no backup, were trapped against the door and were obviously under orders not to use deadly force. And the so-called "patriots" were in their faces, maskless, screaming F*CK the Blue!!!"

When I saw a different angle on another video, I couldn't understand why the cops moved away from the door, leaving it vulnerable to the mob to try to break it down - I suspected they may have been complicit. But this video answers the question. They were probably told to get out of the way because there was at least one officer/agent on the other side trained with a gun on the protesters and they needed the cops out of the way to get a clean shot if necessary.

[crickets]

54. Thank you for connecting the dots on that point.

I had wondered about it, and now it makes perfect sense. They needed to get out of the way to allow for a clear shot. Ashli Babbitt know what she was doing, knew it was wrong, and could not have failed to see guns drawn. The outcome was inevitable. My sympathies go out to the officer who was forced to shoot her in order to stop her. That couldn't have been easy to do, or to deal with afterward.

[BarackTheVote]

67. There were riot cops coming up the stairs to their left who were relieving them.

[crickets]

68. Also true, but they weren't going to get there in time to stop Babbitt. Unfortunate. nt

[2naSalit]

17. Act like a terrorist...

Get killed like a terrorist. Fuck her and her memory, she was the cause of her own death.

[Crunchy Frog]

25. All terrorists who were in that area, who are identified and arrested

need to be charged with her murder, in addition to all other charges.

That's how it normally works.

[edhopper]

26. And it's Ashley you stupid girl,

not Ashli. I mean that alone....

[XanaDUer2]

30. She spelled it Ashli

although a newly-designed MAGAT flag depicting her as a martyred patriot are misspelling her name as Ashley. Go figure

[edhopper]

33. I know

I was making fun of her.

Edited.

[XanaDUer2]

36. ah, my bad nt

.

[ansible]

34. Ashli knew exactly what she was doing and wanted to be a martyr

A white woman, a US air force veteran and a Trump supporter? Jesus what a combo, her funeral is going to be a massive shitshow.

[BannonsLiver]

38. The officer acted appropriately IMO

[LiberalArkie]

52. All the police did. catch more video on ABC.. Officers wedging their bodies in doorways to keep

the terrorist from getting through

[BarackTheVote]

69. There are definitely a few those actions need to be reviewed.

The ones who removed the barriers, the one who got his selfie taken with them. I think it’s safe to assume that there were at least several MAGA infiltrators among the Police, but this all needs to be thoroughly investigated.

[BruceWane]

45. The Ultimate "Karen"

She was an angry white republican woman who thought "I can do anything and go anywhere I want - they're not going to shoot at me".

She was wrong.

[Dem2]

51. Seems like an unfortunate circumstance

She was unarmed and was shot trying to enter through an opening. Bad idea, but she herself wasn't a threat. The mob behind her, however, was. An unfortunate victim of circumstance, and she clearly was a brainwashed idiot. I blame her death squarely on the president's rhetoric.

[LisaL]

85. Why are you assuming she wasn't a threat?

She was ex-military and presumably knew what she was doing.

[LiberalArkie]

53. They are shooting at us

Link to tweet

[LeftInTX]

56. Those two guys: "Let us in. We won't hurt you"

"Let us in. We had your back"

[Blue_Tires]

58. SHE FUCKED AROUND AND FOUND OUT

[Buckeye_Democrat]

63. That officer deserves a medal!

Good shot, officer!

[Dawson Leery]

71. They were threatening and she jumped through the broken glass.

Self defense.