In a release announcing that the officer who shot domestic terrorist Ashli Babbitt would not face disciplinary action, the US Capitol Police noted that the officer’s actions “potentially saved Members and staff from serious injury and possible death.”
Ignoring orders to stop, Babbitt attempted crawl through a broken window in a set of doors that had been barricaded by officers trying to defend the Speaker’s Lobby in the Capitol. Members were exiting into the Lobby as insurrectionists attacked the complex. The officer in question, who is not publicly named due to threats to him and his family, shot Babbitt as she tried to breach the broken window.
“The actions of the officer in this case potentially saved Members and staff from serious injury and possible death from a large crowd of rioters who forced their way into the U.S. Capitol and to the House Chamber where Members and staff were steps away,” the statement reads. “USCP Officers had barricaded the Speaker’s Lobby with furniture before a rioter shattered the glass door. If the doors were breached, the rioters would have immediate access to the House Chambers. The officer’s actions were consistent with the officer’s training and USCP policies and procedures.”