The family of a woman killed in January’s Capitol insurrection is taking legal action with hopes that it will help them learn more details about her fatal shooting. As CNBC reported, Ashli Babbitt’s family filed a lawsuit against the nation’s capital demanding the release of information regarding her death.
Babbitt was one of hundreds of rioters who raided the Capitol in an effort to challenge the election results. While in the building, she gained access to the hallway outside the Speaker’s lobby and attempted to climb through a broken glass window and into the House chamber. She was shot in the left shoulder by an officer in the lobby and collapsed.
She passed away hours later after being transported to Washington Hospital Center.
Amid an investigation into the shooting, the officer behind Babbitt’s death was said to be placed on administrative leave. Federal prosecutors — who viewed video of the shooting, witness statements, autopsy results and the scene of the crime — later announced that there was “insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution.”
Per the lawsuit, the rioter’s husband, Aaron Babbitt, subsequently requested records from the Metropolitan Police Department under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), but he received no updates or materials before or after the May 12 deadline.
With a suit against D.C. police, Babbitt’s family is hoping to finally get some information. Per the legal documents, they are demanding the release of the officer’s identity as well as footage of the shooting, statements from those who witnessed the incident and findings from the investigation.
According to Babbitt’s family lawyer Terrell Roberts, the current suit will be followed by some more legal action. The family reportedly plans to file a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. Capitol police. The suit will claim that Babbitt passed away as a result of the USCP’s “failure to train, discipline and supervise the officer who killed” her.