The U.S. Capitol Police officer who shot dead an Air Force veteran during the tumultuous events on Jan. 6 will not be charged, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division decided jointly not to pursue charges against the officer.
The decision came after a “thorough investigation” into the shooting of Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old who joined others in storming the U.S. Capitol in Washington during a joint session of Congress in January. Babbitt was shot while trying to climb through a broken window into the Speaker’s Lobby, adjacent to the House chamber.
“Officials examined video footage posted on social media, statements from the officer involved and other officers and witnesses to the events, physical evidence from the scene of the shooting, and the results of an autopsy,” the DOJ said in a statement.
“Based on that investigation, officials determined that there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution.”
The officer remains unidentified in the public sphere. A lawyer representing him did not return a voicemail or an email.
Babbitt’s family was informed before the decision was publicly announced.
Terrell Roberts, an attorney for the family, told The Epoch Times that the decision was “baffling.”
“I find it to be baffling given the circumstances that it’s a clear case of shooting unarmed person without any legal justification, but I have no idea what went into their decision,” Roberts said.
