Woman Shot in Capitol Riot Dies

Tobias Hoonhout
·4 min read

The woman who was shot and killed in the Capitol building Wednesday afternoon has been identified as Ashli Babbitt, a 14-year Air Force veteran and San Diego native.

Babbitt, 35, was part of a throng of Trump supporters who entered the capitol and clashed with police after attending the president’s rally nearby. Her husband confirmed to Fox 5 San Diego that she was killed this afternoon and said that she was an avid supporter of President Trump.

“I really don’t know why she decided to do this,” Babbitt’s mother-in-law told the local Fox affiliate in D.C.

Videos circulating online showed Babbitt standing on a ledge next to a doorway in the capitol complex before she suddenly drops to the ground as shots ring out. A crowd then gathers around her as she lies bleeding on the hallway floor.

Metro police announced Wednesday night that three other people died as a result of medical emergencies that occurred during the hours-long riot.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) told Fox News that he overheard “shots fired” on Capitol Hill police radios, and there are reports of at least one woman being shot in the chest — who was later reported to have died in the hospital. Trump has tweeted asking his supporters to “remain peaceful. No violence!”

The Senate chamber has also been breached by protestors. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) has requested the National Guard, and D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser has ordered a 6 p.m. curfew.

The massive crowd, numbering tens of thousands, moved on the Capitol — where vice president Mike Pence is overseeing the certification of the Electoral College — after Trump repeatedly urged them to do so, saying he would join them and vowing to “never give up” and “never concede.” Trump, however, left for the White House after delivering his address, and did not join the MAGA crowd.

Capitol Hill police moved to evacuate the Cannon House office building after the crowd overwhelmed police and broke through barriers. Flash bangs and tear gas were used on the crowd, with little effect. There are reports of multiple suspicious packages near the Capitol grounds (the New York Times later reported that an “explosive device” was safely detonated at the Republican National Committee). The crowd subsequently broke into the building as both the House and the Senate sessions to certify the election were forced into recess, and Pence was escorted out.

Tear gas has been deployed inside the building, and members of Congress have been instructed to put on gas masks and are being evacuated.

While Donald Trump Jr. condemned the actions of the crowd, urging them to not “start acting like the other side,” the president took to Twitter to attack his running mate.

Less than 15 minutes later, Trump urged his supporters to “[s]tay peaceful!” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has announced that, per Trump’s orders, the National Guard and federal law enforcement have been called to secure the Capitol.

Multiple Republicans, including Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) — one of the instigators in the effort to object to the Electoral College certification — have condemned the clashes with police.

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