The family of Ashli Babbitt will reportedly sue the U.S. Capitol Police Department for nearly $10 million, according to Newsweek.
Attorney for the Babbitt family, Terry Roberts, told Zenger News, “a rookie police officer would not have shot this woman.” Babbitt was an Air Force veteran who a Capitol Hill police officer fatally shot on Jan. 6 after attempting to enter a restricted area of the Capitol along with a group of protesters.
U.S. Capitol Police to be sued for $10 million for killing unarmed rioter https://t.co/JiudDiw9HR
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) April 29, 2021
Babbitt was seen on video attempting to enter the Speaker’s Lobby via a broken window. Moments later, she was struck with a single bullet, according to Newsweek.
“If she committed any crime by going through the window and into the Speaker’s Lobby, it would have been trespassing. Some misdemeanor crime. All a rookie cop would have done is arrest her,” Roberts said.
Roberts said there were “other officers there to assist with [the] arrest.” “You had officers on Ashli’s side of the door in riot gear and holding submachine guns. And on the other side of the door, you have another uniformed officer 6 or 8 feet away. Whose life is he saving by shooting her? … She’s not brandishing a weapon. She’s on the window ledge. And there’s no reason to think she’s armed,” Roberts continued.
The family attorney said he expects to file charges against the Capitol Police Department “within the next ten days.” The suit will also include a civil rights claim filed against the lieutenant who shot Babbitt, according to Newsweek.
“We intend to vindicate Ashli’s constitutional rights, which were egregiously violated,” Roberts said. He added that the $10 million is a “good estimate” for the wrongful death lawsuit. (RELATED: New Angle Shows Moment Officer Shot And Killed Air Force Veteran In House Offices)
The decision to sue the Capitol Police Department comes weeks after federal prosecutors decided not to charge the officer due to “insufficient evidence.”
“Acknowledging the tragic loss of life and offering condolences to Ms. Babbitt’s family, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Department of Justice have therefore closed the investigation into this matter,” the statement stated.