A formal probe into the death of the Trump supporter who was fatally shot after storming the US Capitol alongside the MAGA mob has been launched.
As Michael Sherwin, the Acting U.S. Attorney for Washington DC, confirmed, his civil rights division is responsible for leading the case that resulted in the death of 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran from San Diego who was described as an avid Trump supporter and a “great patriot” by her husband.
The fatal shooting at the Capitol is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia and the FBI.
According to the Times, a spokesperson for the Justice Department confirmed that the procedure is a “routine” step that is taken when a police officer is involved in using lethal force.
The investigation aims to determine whether the police officer, who hasn’t been named but has been placed on leave pending an investigation, used excessive force against Babbitt.
The 35-year-old MAGA supporter was fatally shot on Wednesday as the rioters breached the barricades and forced their way into Capitol.
A video that has been circulating the internet suggests that Babbitt was shot while attempting to breach an area blocked off by the police by climbing through a broken window.
While Babbitt was rushed outside the Capitol building after the shooting, she later succumbed to her injuries. As two witnesses of the fatal shooting suggested, the female protester may have been gunned down by the police while trying to breach the fortified area.
Speaking to The Sun, Babbitt’s friend, Jack Feeley, expressed how he believes that the Air Force veteran was “executed on live television.”
“That was an execution. [It] breaks my heart to know millions of people watched my friend be executed on live television. I wish she was still here, but I’m really proud of her for being there,” Feeley said.
He added:
“She may have laid down her rifle, but she was still willing to lay down her life for her country and what she strongly believed in. She wasn’t just passionate about Trump, she was the strongest advocate I knew about making things right and fair.
“All she wanted was the end to corruption and the terrible things happening all the way from the top of government down to her local city officials.”
Replaced!