WASHINGTON — On Jan. 6, 2021, the United States Capitol came under attack by a mob of President Trump supporters. So far, five deaths have been reported as a result of the riots, including a Capitol Police officer who later succumbed to injuries in scuffles with rioters, and a woman fatally shot by Capitol Police.
Two new videos from inside the Capitol appear to show the moment 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed, as she tried to climb through a window to gain access to the House chamber. The videos are graphic and disturbing.
We are only using portions of the videos and have also blurred the woman's face and bleeped profanity. The full videos can be found from the original source here.
You may wonder, why we would decide to show these videos? In full transparency, a lot of consideration went into this decision. Ultimately, we felt it was the right thing to do, but only if we did it in a way that was informative to you and respectful of the deceased.
The videos help provide context and clarity about the confusion and commotion surrounding the shooting and provide a different perspective of what was going on when a Capitol Police officer shot Babbitt.
Tayler Hansen, who calls himself an "Independent Journalist" on social media, posted two videos of the commotion and the shooting on Twitter.
In the first video, you see a crowd of people in what looks like a hallway by the stairs, with some people banging on the doors of the House chamber. Some of the windows are already broken. It appears that Babbit attempted to climb through a window and gain access to the House chamber.
Three seconds in you hear what sounds like a gunshot and then screams. Babbit falls back, and you see her on the ground, wearing a flag tied around her neck. People are tending to her, several law enforcement officers are nearby with their guns drawn, yelling "back up."
We're not showing that part of the video. We're moving past that point. But about 24 seconds into the video you hear someone scream "active shooter."
"There's an active shooter in here," someone can be heard yelling. "Get her down. Get her down."
However, it was not an active shooter but a plain-clothed Capitol police officer who fired the shot.
In the second video, after several seconds of trying to save Babbitt and asking where she had been hit, those nearby realize she's slipping away.
"She needs help," someone screams. "You can't save her here. You have to get EMS here."
The rest of the video is shaky and blurry, as the scene descends further into chaos. You can see the commotion and confusion inside the Capitol.
Capitol Police have not released the name of the officer involved in the shooting.
Our sister station in San Diego, KMFB, spoke with Babbit's husband, Aaron, who said videos he’s seen of the woman who was shot is his wife, Ashli.
Her husband said Ashli went to D.C. by herself and he was supposed to pick her up from the airport on Friday. He tells KFMB that Ashli served in the U.S. Air Force for 12 years. The two met in D.C. back when Ashli was in the National Guard and lived in the Maryland area. State documents showed she and her husband owned a pool service company in California.
Babbitt was outspoken on social media about her support for President Donald Trump. Her Twitter was occupied with many posts about MAGA, including a tweet one day before the riots that said, "Nothing will stop us. They can try and try and try but the storm is here."
