The cop who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot won't be charged, the Justice Department announced
- The Justice Department won't pursue charges against the police officer who killed Ashli Babbitt.
- Babbitt was shot and killed during the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.
The Justice Department said Wednesday it will not pursue charges against the Capitol Police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot in January.
Babbitt, 35, was one of the five people who died during the unrest on January 6 at the US Capitol.
In a statement, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said "the investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot at Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber."
According to the statement, investigators from DC Metropolitan Police Department and the city's Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section and Civil Rights Division concluded there was "insufficient evidence" to support criminal charges against the officer.
Investigators in February previously recommended not to file charges against the still-unnamed officer who killed Babbitt.
The Justice Department on Wednesday said investigators determined that Babbitt was one of the rioters who gained access to the Speaker's Lobby outside the chamber where members of the House of Representatives were meeting.
When Babbitt tried to climb through a door where the glass had been "broken out," an officer fired one round from his service pistol, which hit Babbitt in her left shoulder, the agency said.
A Capitol Police emergency response team immediately assisted Babbitt, who died of her injuries at the Capitol, the Justice Department added.
As Insider previously reported, Babbitt was a Q-Anon believer and part of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol following Trump's "Save America" really earlier in the day. Rioters breached the building while lawmakers were in session to certify the 2020 election results.