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Officer Who Killed Ashli Babbitt in Capitol Hill Riots Won’t Face Criminal Charges

babbitt, ashli, capitolio

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The Capitol riots provided an unpleasant and surreal scene for the country and the world; the spectacle left an election with questionable legitimacy, dozens injured, a president whose end of office left a bad taste in all, and several dead, including Ashli Babbitt.

However, the Wall Street Journal reported that investigators have “preliminarily determined” that the officer who shot and killed her will not face any criminal charges for the murder.

Ashli Babbitt and the Capitol riots

Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran tweeted from her account on January 5th: “Nothing will stop us…they can try and try and try and try, but the storm is here and it is descending on DC in less than 24 hours…from dark to light.”

The events that unfolded a day later would not be bright at all, but extremely dark. People stormed the Capitol grounds with the goal of preventing Congress members and senators from confirming the victory of now President Joe Biden; along the way some vandalized offices, videotaped, live-streamed, took pictures with statues; others decided to enter the floor directly and sit in the chambers (like the QAnon Shaman who is now testifying against Donald Trump).

The commotion in the hallways remained at fever pitch, and while some had no intention of escalating violence, there were several scuffles between security officers and citizens. At one point, members of the secret service who were inside one of the halls were pointing guns in the faces of the citizens. At some point in the commotion, a gun is heard being fired at Babbit, who, shot in the neck, collapses in the crowd.

(VIDEO WITH EXPLICIT CONTENT)

Breathless and staring blankly, Ashli Babbitt lay on the ground. The veteran was the first of those killed during the assault on the Capitol.

Following the riot, the officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt was placed on administrative leave and relieved of his official duties while the matter was investigated. However, criminal charges for the murder against the Babbitt will not be filed against him.

Five people died as a result of the clash and conflict at the Capitol, including one officer, in addition to Babbitt.

Does the law apply only to Trumpists?

Law enforcement with Trump supporters has been extremely severe and all investigations have been conducted with remarkable diligence. An institutional treatment radically different from that given to Black Lives Matter members who spent the past year destroying American citizen businesses and taxpayer-paid public property. Several perpetrators, although identified, are not covered by the mainstream media nor have they been sentenced.

In the context of the aftermath of January 6th, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that supporters of former President Trump are facing criminal charges for storming the Capitol.

In a dozen cases that have been filed against several of those involved in the January 6th events, prosecutors have targeted some of the most visible participants whose efforts were widely publicized on social media.

“The two men are charged with violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, among other charges,” the WSJ writes. “The affidavit filed in support of the arrest of Robert Packer, 56,” it continues, “cites media reports that identified him as the man photographed wearing the sweatshirt referencing the Nazi concentration camp, and says an informant contacted police after recognizing him as a known customer at a store in Newport News, Virginia.”

The second man identified as Josiah Colt, “whose relative identified him as the man in the photo hanging from the balcony, said in a Facebook post that he was also the first person to sit in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s chair.” Although prosecutors noted in charging documents that he was photographed in the chair reserved for Vice President Mike Pence.

Rafael Valera, Venezuelan, student of Political Science, political exile in São Paulo, Brazil since 2017 // Rafael Valera, venezolano, es estudiante de Ciencias Políticas y exiliado político en São Paulo, Brasil desde 2017

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