Woman shot and killed inside US Capitol identified as Pro-Trump Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt

Pro-Trump Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, 35, has been identified as the woman shot and killed inside the US Capitol building.
Pro-Trump Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, 35, has been identified as the woman shot and killed inside the US Capitol building. Photo credit: Twitter - @gregkellyusa / Getty Images

The woman shot and killed by police inside the US Capitol building has been identified as 35-year-old Pro-Trump Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt. 

According to the New York Times Babbitt was shot by a plain-clothed officer as she and other Pro-Trump rioters forced their way to a part of the Capitol building where members of Congress were sheltering. 

Babbitt was struck in the shoulder and died a few hours later, she is one of four reported to have died during the riots. 

As a former member of the US Air Force, Babbitt was deployed seven times in eight years, achieved the rank of senior airman, and had been assigned to security units that police Air Force bases.  

A Twitter account owned by Babbitt, which has since been taken down, demonstrates she was a devoted Trump and QAnon supporter.

Screenshots shared by MSN of the account, @commonAshsense, shows Babbitt was excited about the January 6 uprising, the day that ended her life. 

On January 1 she retweeted a question asking "when do we start winning?" responding to it with "Jan 6, 2021." 

She also retweeted Donald Trump's inciting of the protest; "The BIG Protest Rally in Washington, DC, will take place at 11am on January 6. Locational details to follow. StopThe Steal!" 

Babbitt also shared dozens of Tweets from attorney L. Lin Wood, the Pro-Trump lawyer behind the many failed lawsuits challenging Joe Biden's election win.

Wood posts conspiracy-laden QAnon tweets including claims US Government agencies have been hacked by a "Lizard Squad" and accusing Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts of raping and murdering a child," - both of which are baseless lies that have been retweeted by Babbitt.  

Babbitt frequently posted sporting MAGA merch and attending Pro-Trump events. 

Chief of the Capitol Police Steven A. Sund, who according to Nancy Pelosi has submitted his resignation, said the riot was "unlike any" he had experienced in his "30 years in law enforcement."

He commended the "heroic" actions of Capitol officers during the riots despite large-scale criticism over how easily they were overrun by those breaching the Capitol building. 

Babbitt's death has sparked mixed responses on Twitter. 

Some users are demanding the officer who shot her be charged with murder while others disagree, citing killings of Black people at the hands of police who have not yet been charged, such as Breonna Taylor who was shot in her sleep.