Ashli Babbitt was a 35-year-old Air Force veteran and business owner from San Diego, California, who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer during the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol. She was part of a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump who stormed the building in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. She died from a gunshot wound to the left shoulder after trying to climb through a broken window into the Speaker’s Lobby, where members of Congress were being evacuated.
Early Life and Military Career
Ashli Elizabeth Babbitt was born in 1985 in Lakeside, California, a suburb of San Diego. She attended El Capitan High School and graduated in 2003. She joined the Air Force the same year and served as a security forces controller until 2008.
Ashli Babbitt was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan during her active duty service. She then joined the Air National Guard and served as a security forces craftsman until 2010. She was deployed to Kuwait and Qatar during her reserve service. She received several awards and decorations for her military service, including the Air Force Achievement Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
Personal Life and Business
Ashli Babbitt married Timothy McEntee, a fellow Air Force veteran, in 2005. They divorced in 2019 after 14 years of marriage. They had no children together, but Babbitt had two stepchildren from McEntee’s previous relationship.
Babbitt remarried in 2019 to Aaron Babbitt, another Air Force veteran, and former firefighter. They owned a pool service company called Fowlers Pool Service and Supply in Spring Valley, California. They also had three dogs and two cats.
Political Views and Social Media Activity
Ashli Babbitt was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump and his policies. She frequently posted on social media about her admiration for the former president and her disdain for his political opponents. She also echoed his unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud and election rigging in the 2020 presidential election. She identified herself as a libertarian and a patriot and used hashtags such as #StopTheSteal, #WWG1WGA (Where We Go One We Go All), and #MAGA (Make America Great Again) on her posts.
Ashli Babbitt was also a follower of QAnon, a baseless conspiracy theory that alleges that Trump is secretly fighting against a cabal of satanic pedophiles who control the government, media, and Hollywood. She wore a shirt that said “We are Q” at a boat parade for Trump in San Diego in September 2020. She also retweeted posts from QAnon influencers and used QAnon slogans on her social media profiles.
Ashli Babbitt was not always a Trump supporter or a QAnon believer. In a Twitter exchange from November 2018, she revealed that she had voted for Barack Obama twice and praised him for doing “great things” for the country. She said she could not vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and chose Trump instead. She also expressed support for legalizing marijuana, gay marriage, and abortion rights.
Parents and Siblings
Ashli Babbitt’s parents are Michelle and Mick Witthoeft. They live in San Diego, California. They have expressed grief and anger over their daughter’s death, and have demanded answers and justice from the authorities. They have also defended their daughter’s character and patriotism and said she was not a violent person.
According to a report by Ghanafuo.com, no information was found on the internet about Babbitt’s siblings, if she had any. However, some sources have mentioned that she had a brother named Roger Witthoeft, who also lives in San Diego. He has not spoken publicly about his sister’s death.
Ashli Babbitt BIO/WIKI
| Name | Ashli Elizabeth Babbitt |
| Date of birth | 1985 |
| Place of birth | Lakeside, California, United States |
| Date of death | January 6, 2021 |
| Place of death | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Business owner, United States Air Force veteran |
| Spouse(s) | Aaron Babbitt (m. 2019–2021), Timothy McEntee (m. 2005–2019) |
| Political party | Republicans |
| ashlibabbitt | |
| AshliBabbitt | |
| Homepage | Homepage |
Participation in the Capitol Attack
On January 5, 2021, Ashli Babbitt flew from San Diego to Washington D.C. to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally that Trump had promoted on his Twitter account. The rally was organized by pro-Trump groups and individuals who wanted to protest against the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory by Congress on January 6. Babbitt posted on Twitter that she was “excited” to be in D.C. and that “nothing will stop us” from supporting Trump.
On January 6, Ashli Babbitt joined thousands of Trump supporters who gathered near the White House to listen to Trump’s speech, where he repeated his false claims of election fraud and urged his followers to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell” to save the country. Babbitt followed the crowd as they marched to the Capitol building, where they clashed with police officers who tried to stop them from entering.
Babbitt was part of a group of rioters who breached the Capitol through a broken window on the first floor of the House wing. She then made her way to the second floor, where she encountered a barricaded door that led to the Speaker’s Lobby, a hallway that connects to the House chamber where members of Congress were being evacuated by security personnel. A Capitol Police officer armed with a handgun was positioned on the other side of the door behind a group of furniture.
As Ashli Babbitt attempted to climb through one of the windows beside the door, which had been smashed by another rioter with a helmet, she was shot in the left shoulder by the officer. She fell back onto the floor and was surrounded by other rioters who tried to help her. She was carried out of the building by a Capitol Police emergency response team and taken to Washington Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Aftermath and Reactions
Babbitt’s death was one of five fatalities that occurred during or after the Capitol attack. The others were Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who died from injuries sustained during the riot; Benjamin Philips, Kevin Greeson, and Rosanne Boyland, three Trump supporters who died from medical emergencies outside the Capitol; and Howard Liebengood, another Capitol Police officer who died by suicide days after the riot.
Ashli Babbitt’s death sparked mixed reactions from different groups and individuals. Some of her fellow Trump supporters and QAnon followers hailed her as a martyr and a hero who died for a noble cause. They compared her to Crispus Attucks, the first person killed in the American Revolution, and called for justice and accountability for her killing. They also spread conspiracy theories that she was not really dead or that she was killed by Antifa activists disguised as Trump supporters.
Some of her critics and opponents condemned her actions and blamed her for her own death. They accused her of being a domestic terrorist and a traitor who participated in an insurrection against the U.S. government. They also criticized her for believing in QAnon and other false narratives that fueled the violence at the Capitol. They expressed sympathy for her family and friends, but not for her.
Ashli Babbitt’s family and friends expressed shock and grief over her death. They described her as a passionate, patriotic, and caring person who loved her country and her animals. They also said she was misguided by misinformation and radicalized by online propaganda. They asked for privacy and respect as they mourned their loss.
The Capitol Police officer who shot Babbitt was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. The officer’s name has not been officially released, but he has been identified by some media outlets as Lieutenant Michael Byrd, a 28-year veteran of the Capitol Police.
The investigation concluded in April 2021 that there was insufficient evidence to support the criminal prosecution of the officer. The Justice Department said in a statement that it could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer violated Babbitt’s civil rights or acted willfully to deprive her of life without legal justification. The statement also said that the officer reasonably believed that he was firing in self-defense or in defense of members of Congress and others evacuating the House chamber.
The Capitol Police also cleared the officer of any wrongdoing in August 2021, after conducting its own internal investigation. The agency said in a statement that it found no evidence that the officer violated any policies or procedures, and that his actions were “lawful and within Department policy” and “potentially saved Members (of Congress) and staff from serious injury and possible death”.
Ashli Babbitt’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Capitol Police, seeking $10 million in damages. The lawsuit alleges that the officer used excessive force against Babbitt, who posed no imminent threat to him or anyone else, and that he failed to give any verbal warning or command before shooting her. The lawsuit also claims that the Capitol Police failed to properly train, supervise, and discipline its officers.
Some Facts About Ashli Babbitt
- Ashli Babbitt served in the Air Force for 12 years, including four years of active duty and eight years of reserve service.
- Ashli Babbitt owned a pool service company with her husband Aaron Babbitt in Spring Valley, California.
- Ashli Babbitt was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump and his policies and frequently posted on social media about her admiration for him.
- Ashli Babbitt was also a follower of QAnon, a baseless conspiracy theory that alleges that Trump is secretly fighting against a cabal of satanic pedophiles who control the government, media, and Hollywood.
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