The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Woman fatally shot as pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol identified as Air Force veteran

January 7, 2021 at 5:17 a.m. EST
Ashli Babbitt, 35, was shot and killed in the Capitol Wednesday. (Courtesy of Timothy McEntee)

When a group of pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol and smashed windows on Wednesday, a woman jumped onto a pane and started through.

Seconds later, a gunshot rang out and the woman, who had a Trump flag tied around her waist, tipped back and fell onto the marble floor as blood spilled from her shoulder.

“They shot a girl!” someone yelled as the crowd ran out of the southeast entrance.

She died later that day, police said. She was one of four fatalities from the violent rioting that wreaked havoc through the halls of Congress on Wednesday, halting the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Three others died of unspecified medical emergencies during the chaos.

The woman was 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, a California native and Air Force veteran, her former husband told The Washington Post. Before her death in the Capitol, she had used her social media to express fervent support for President Trump and echo many of the president’s conspiracy theories and false claims of mass voter fraud.

Police have not yet confirmed Babbitt’s identity or confirmed details about how she was shot. The woman was shot by U.S. Capitol Police, D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III told reporters on Wednesday.

On the day Congress was set to confirm that President-elect Joe Biden won the election, a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol building. Here's how it happened. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/The Washington Post)

Trump supporters storm U.S. Capitol, with one woman killed and tear gas fired

Babbitt, a native of San Diego, served in Afghanistan and Iraq in the Air Force before other deployments with the National Guard to Kuwait and Qatar, ex-husband Timothy McEntee told The Post. McEntee and Babbitt met in the Air Force and were married for 14 years, before splitting in May 2019.

McEntee, who did not know Babbitt had traveled to D.C. for the protests, was shocked by the news of her death and described her as smart and strong-willed.

“I feel absolutely terrible and sick to my stomach about it,” he wrote in a text message. “She was never afraid to speak her mind and in a way this was her way of speaking her mind (going to the rally).”

McEntee said Babbitt had remarried and owned a pool supply company with her husband, Aaron Babbitt.

Babbitt’s mother-in-law told WTTG, which did not identify her by name, that her son did not accompany Babbitt to Washington.

“I really don’t know why she decided to do this,” she said.

In an interview with San Diego station KUSI, Babbitt’s husband said she was a passionate Trump supporter. McEntee echoed those sentiments, adding that she was “very loud and opinionated, but caring, sweet, thoughtful, loving.”

“You would never forget meeting her,” he wrote.

On social media, Babbitt recorded combative videos about immigration policy, while expressing her support for a border wall. In early September, she tweeted a picture from a Trump boat parade in San Diego wearing a shirt that said, “We are Q,” referring to QAnon, the far-right conspiracy theory. The tweet also included the hashtag “#WWG1WGA,” an acronym used by supporters who believe in the claims that Trump was battling a group of “deep state” child abusers.

Babbitt also retweeted messages calling for Vice President Pence to resign and be charged with treason, videos of Trump rallies and photos of the president’s supporters flying to D.C. for the protests.

In one of her final posts, she responded to a tweet saying many flights to D.C. were canceled because of weather. “The entire world is corrupt,” the person said.

In response, Babbitt wrote: “Nothing will stop us … they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours … dark to light!”

The Jan. 6 insurrection

The report: The Jan. 6 committee released its final report, marking the culmination of an 18-month investigation into the violent insurrection. Read The Post’s analysis about the committee’s new findings and conclusions.

The final hearing: The House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol held its final public meeting where members referred four criminal charges against former president Donald Trump and others to the Justice Department. Here’s what the criminal referrals mean.

The riot: On Jan. 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. Five people died on that day or in the immediate aftermath, and 140 police officers were assaulted.

Inside the siege: During the rampage, rioters came perilously close to penetrating the inner sanctums of the building while lawmakers were still there, including former vice president Mike Pence. The Washington Post examined text messages, photos and videos to create a video timeline of what happened on Jan. 6. Here’s what we know about what Trump did on Jan. 6.