Woman shot at Capitol was veteran
SAN DIEGO — The woman who was fatally shot when a mob supporting President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol was identified by authorities Thursday as Ashli Babbitt, whose family described her as an Air Force veteran and avid supporter of Trump and his efforts to stay in office.
A U.S. Capitol Police officer Wednesday shot Babbitt, who later died at a hospital. The shooting occurred as thousands of rioters forced their way into the House chamber, where members of Congress were hiding, according to Steven Sund, chief of the Capitol Police.
Ashli Babbitt’s husband, Aaron Babbitt, told KSWB-TV, a Fox affiliate in San Diego, that he and his wife, 35, live in San Diego and that she was in Washington on Wednesday to support Trump.
Aaron Babbitt sent his wife a message about 30 minutes before the shooting and never heard back.
“She loved her country and she was doing what she thought was right to support her country, joining up with like-minded people that also love their president and their country,” he told the news station.
The Babbits are executives for a pool service company.
A Twitter account under Ashli Babbitt’s name identifies her as a veteran, Libertarian and supporter of the Second Amendment.
On Thursday, District of Columbia police identified the three people who had medical emergencies and died during the storming of the Capitol.
They are Kevin Greeson, 55, of Athens, Alabama; Rosanne Boyland, 34, of Kennesaw, Georgia; and Benjamin Phillips, 50, of Ringtown, Pennsylvania.
Police Chief Robert Contee would not go into detail about the exact causes of their deaths.