During the chaos that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, one woman, Ashli Babbitt, was shot and killed in the building. Babbitt, a Donald Trump supporter, was reportedly shot in the chest while in the Capitol. She was subsequently treated for her injury, but it was later reported that she passed away.
On Wednesday, a mob of individuals, made up of President Trump’s supporters, made their way into the Capitol, leading the building to go under lockdown. Many rioters made their way inside the building, causing chaos and looting the location while doing so. Amidst the chaos, a woman, who was later identified as Babbitt, was shot in the chest while inside the Capitol. Her husband, who was not at the scene, later confirmed that his wife was killed during the incident. CNN’s White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins obtained a quote from Babbitt’s mother-in-law, who said she was unsure why her daughter-in-law decided to participate in the Capitol riot.
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According to the New York Times, Babbitt was from San Diego and worked in the Air Force for over a decade. The publication reported that she previously worked in the security field at a nuclear power plant, and has since been running a pool-supply company. On social media, she frequently shared her support for Trump. She also posted messages that tied back to QAnon conspiracy theories and issued tirades against immigration, drugs, and Democratic leaders in California. The NYT reported that those who were close to Babbitt were shocked that she was involved in this situation.
Babbitt’s husband, Aaron Babbitt, told a Fox affiliate in San Diego that he sent his wife a text message about 30 minutes before the shooting. He said that she never responded. Roger Witthoeft, Babbitt’s brother, said that she had not told the family that she was going to Washington D.C. However, he also said that he was not surprised to see that she was a part of the situation that unfolded. Witthoeft said, “My sister was 35 and served 14 years — to me that’s the majority of your conscious adult life. If you feel like you gave the majority of your life to your country and you’re not being listened to, that is a hard pill to swallow. That’s why she was upset.”
