Ashli Babbitt’s death occurred on January 6, 2021, when a U.S. Capitol Police lieutenant shot the 35-year-old Air Force veteran as she tried to climb through a shattered door panel into the Speaker’s Lobby during the attack on the Capitol. Two separate investigations cleared the officer of wrongdoing, but in 2025 the federal government paid her family a $4.975 million wrongful death settlement, and the Air Force reversed an earlier decision and offered her military funeral honors.
How the Shooting Happened
A joint session of Congress was certifying the 2020 presidential election when a crowd of Trump supporters breached the Capitol. As lawmakers were being evacuated, rioters pushed toward the Speaker’s Lobby, a hallway leading directly to the House Chamber. Three Capitol Police officers had barricaded the lobby’s glass doors with furniture, but the mob struck the doors with flagpoles, helmets, and other objects until the officers abandoned the position.1U.S. Department of Justice. Department of Justice Closes Investigation Into the Death of Ashli Babbitt
As people in the crowd broke out the glass, Babbitt, wearing a Trump campaign flag around her shoulders, began climbing through one of the shattered panels.2PBS NewsHour. Ashli Babbitt, Jan. 6 Insurrectionist Portrayed as Martyr by Some, Had Violent Past A Capitol Police officer inside the lobby fired one round from his service pistol, striking her in the left shoulder. She received aid from a Capitol Police emergency response team and was taken to Washington Hospital Center, where she died.1U.S. Department of Justice. Department of Justice Closes Investigation Into the Death of Ashli Babbitt
Who Ashli Babbitt Was
Babbitt served in the U.S. Air Force from 2004 to 2016 across active duty, the Air Force Reserves, and the Air National Guard. She reached the rank of Senior Airman and worked as a security forces controller, with deployments to Afghanistan in 2005, Iraq in 2006, and the United Arab Emirates in 2012 and 2014. Her final unit was the 113th Security Forces Squadron of the DC Air National Guard.3CNN. US Air Force Offers Funeral Honors to Ashli Babbitt
After leaving the military, she and her husband, Aaron, ran Fowler’s Pool Service & Supply in Spring Valley, California, near San Diego. She was CEO and he was CFO.4Service Industry News. Pool Service Tech Killed at U.S. Capitol Demonstration
Her recent history included a 2016 case in Calvert County, Maryland, under her prior married name McEntee, in which she was charged with reckless endangerment, malicious destruction of property, and tampering with a vehicle after a road-rage incident. She was acquitted. Separate restraining orders were issued against her in 2016 and 2017, though court records do not specify the reasons. Her first husband, Timothy McEntee, filed for divorce in 2018, and it was finalized in 2019.5New York Post. Ashli Babbitt Was Once Hit With Property Destruction Charges
By 2020, Babbitt had become deeply engaged with pro-Trump politics and online conspiracy theories. Posting under the handle “CommonAshSense,” she used QAnon hashtags, engaged with QAnon accounts, and promoted the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory. The day before the Capitol attack, she tweeted: “Nothing will stop us….they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours….dark to light!”6NBC News. Woman Killed at Capitol Was Trump Supporter Who Embraced Conspiracy Theories
The Investigations That Cleared the Officer
The shooting was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division. On April 14, 2021, the DOJ announced it was closing the case, finding insufficient evidence to prosecute under 18 U.S.C. § 242, the federal criminal civil rights statute. Investigators found no evidence to disprove that the officer reasonably believed the use of force was necessary in self-defense or in defense of members of Congress being evacuated.1U.S. Department of Justice. Department of Justice Closes Investigation Into the Death of Ashli Babbitt
The Capitol Police’s Office of Professional Responsibility then conducted its own administrative review. On August 23, 2021, the agency announced that the officer’s conduct was “lawful and within Department policy” and consistent with training and procedures. It concluded the officer’s actions “potentially saved Members and staff from serious injury and possible death.” No internal discipline was imposed.7U.S. Capitol Police. USCP Completes Internal Investigation of January 6 Officer-Involved Shooting
The officer was later publicly identified as U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd. In an NBC Nightly News interview, Byrd said he had heard reports of officers being overrun and false reports of shots fired in the House Chamber, that it was “impossible for him to see what was on the other side” of the door, and that he could not “fully see her hands or what was in the backpack” Babbitt wore.8Lawfare. Evaluating the Police Shooting of Ashli Babbitt As of August 2023, Byrd remained with the Capitol Police and was scheduled for promotion from lieutenant to captain.9Roll Call. Capitol Police Promotes Officers Who Got Jan. 6 Attack Spotlight
The Wrongful Death Lawsuit and $4.975 Million Settlement
On January 5, 2024, Babbitt’s estate and her husband Aaron filed a $30 million wrongful death lawsuit against the United States in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, alleging wrongful death, assault and battery, and negligence under the Federal Tort Claims Act.10CourtListener. Estate of Ashli Babbitt v. United States, Docket 1:24-cv-01701 Judicial Watch, representing the family, argued that Babbitt had been “ambushed” while unarmed and that Byrd failed to issue warnings or identify himself before firing.11Judicial Watch. $4.975 Million Settlement of Ashli Babbitt Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The case was transferred to Washington, D.C., in June 2024 and assigned to Judge Ana C. Reyes, with trial set for 2026.10CourtListener. Estate of Ashli Babbitt v. United States, Docket 1:24-cv-01701 The posture changed after the Trump administration took office. By February 2025, government lawyers and Judicial Watch were working toward a resolution.12Judicial Watch. Justice Signals Settlement in $30M Ashli Babbitt Wrongful Death Suit In March 2025, President Trump called himself a “big fan of Ashli Babbitt,” described her as “innocently standing there,” and said he would “look into” the lawsuit.13BBC News. Trump Administration to Pay $5M Settlement to Ashli Babbitt’s Family
Lawyers confirmed a settlement in principle in court on May 2, 2025, with a final figure of $4.975 million.14Politico. Ashli Babbitt Trump Settlement According to Judicial Watch, the settlement was formally entered on September 24, 2025, and the case terminated. The agreement stated it was “not and should not be construed as, an admission of liability or fault on the part of the United States.”11Judicial Watch. $4.975 Million Settlement of Ashli Babbitt Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Outgoing Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger called the settlement “extremely disappointing” and said it “sends a chilling message to law enforcement nationwide, especially to those with a protective mission like ours,” noting that both the DOJ and Capitol Police investigations had cleared Byrd.15Politico. Thomas Manger Blasts Jan. 6 Settlement Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said it “sends a sickening message to police and first responders.” Former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn asked, “What type of message does it send to people who defended the Capitol?” Representative Jamie Raskin noted that the government had not proposed compensation for the more than 140 officers injured during the attack.16Roll Call. Ashli Babbitt Settlement Message to Police
Military Funeral Honors Denied, Then Granted
Babbitt’s family requested military funeral honors shortly after her death. On February 9, 2021, the Air Force denied the request, with Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly writing that the “circumstances preceding her death” meant granting honors “would bring discredit upon the Air Force.”17The Hill. Air Force to Provide Funeral Honors to Ashli Babbitt
In a letter dated August 15, 2025, Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew Lohmeier told the family the decision was being reversed. After reviewing the circumstances and “considering the information that has come forward since then,” he wrote that he was “persuaded that the previous determination was incorrect” and called the reversal “long overdue.” The honors offered were commensurate with her rank of Senior Airman and would include a uniformed detail, the playing of Taps, and the presentation of an American flag.18PBS NewsHour. Trump Administration Offers Military Funeral Honors to Capitol Rioter Ashli Babbitt19The Guardian. Ashli Babbitt Military Honors January 6 Riot
Babbitt as a Political Symbol
Babbitt became a polarizing political figure almost immediately. On July 1, 2021, Trump issued a statement asking, “Who killed Ashli Babbitt?” He later called her “an innocent, wonderful, incredible woman, a military woman” and said there was “no reason” for the officer to fire. At a Florida rally he said: “We all saw the hand. We saw the gun… If that were on the other side, the person that did the shooting would be strung up and hung.”20New York Magazine. Trump: Who Shot Ashli Babbitt
Within the MAGA movement, Babbitt was elevated as a martyr. Her image appeared on flags and T-shirts at pro-Trump rallies, and military portraits of her were displayed at memorials near the Capitol.21The 19th. Ashli Babbitt January 6 MAGA The Anti-Defamation League reported that some far-right and white supremacist groups co-opted her death with slogans like “Rest in White Power,” casting her as a symbol of racial grievance.22Anti-Defamation League. Far-Right Extremists Memorialize Martyr Ashli Babbitt
Her mother, Micki Witthoeft, became a prominent activist, holding vigils near the Capitol and meeting with then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in March 2023 to discuss her daughter’s death.23NBC News. Kevin McCarthy Met Ashli Babbitt’s Mom Ahead of GOP Visit to Jan. 6 Prisoners The settlement and funeral honors followed a broader shift after Trump returned to office: in January 2025, he issued pardons or commutations covering more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the Capitol attack and directed the attorney general to seek dismissal of remaining cases.24The White House. January 6 Pardons