Police identify Woman Shot as Ashlee Babbitt by Capitol Police

His postings on social media indicate how a 35-year-old military veteran turned into an angry supporter of the president.

In a recent posting, he created the hashtag # WWG1WGA, or When We Go 1 We Go All, a slogan that was associated with QAnon, a very right-wing, loosely organized network and community of believers who embrace a range of countless beliefs .

Ms. Bebbitt died Wednesday after being shot by the Capitol Police, police said, as she was part of a mob aimed at disrupting the certification of the 2020 presidential election. The Capitol Police on Thursday identified Ms. Bebbitt and said the officer who fired the bullet was on leave while her death is being investigated.

Ms. Babbitt lived in San Diego. She and her husband owned a pool services and supply company in suburban San Diego, according to California state business records. Her husband did not respond to phone and email messages.

Robert J. Conteti III, DC Metropolitan Police Chief, described Wednesday’s incident. “A Capitol police officer discharged a service weapon while striking an adult woman,” he said. “She was taken to a local hospital, where lifetime efforts failed. He was declared dead. “

Several videos of the shooting, posted on social media, show Ms. Babbitt, who is seen wearing a Trump’s flag dressed as a cape, broken after an officer shot at a set of double doors – Footy falls through the window. The doors seem to have been closed to prevent rioters from entering the Congress hallway.

In the video, several police officers appear to be providing first aid to Ms. Bebbitt, who was rushed to the hospital and later died.

On Wednesday, Ms. Babbitt’s husband told San Diego television station KUSI that he was a passionate Trump supporter. A Facebook page responsible for Ms. Babbitt says that the two married in 2019.

In a social-media profile named after her, Ms. Bebbitt is described as a veteran and liberator who loved her husband, her big black-and-white dog “and above all, my country.”

According to military records in the US Air Force, between 2004 and 2008, Ms. Babbitt served in the branch security forces under the name of Ashlee Elizabeth Mackenet. She was a senior airman, ranked E-4, and last served at the Dias Air Force Base near Abilene, Texas. According to official records, he did not rise to become a non-government official after years in the reserves and the National Guard.

According to records, he left active duty in April 2008 and served in the Air Force Reserve from 2008 to 2010 and then in the Air National Guard until 2016.

During his career, he deployed overseas, including Iraq.

According to court records, in 2016 it was stated that Ms. Babbitt was issued the first of two peace orders, Maryland’s version of the sanctions order, although they do not provide details of who requested the order. . Another restraining order was filed against him in 2017, according to Maryland court records. He was charged in Maryland that year for “willful motor vehicle damage without owner’s consent”, but was found not guilty. She was again charged in 2016 with reckless endangerment, for which she was found not guilty, and malicious destruction of property for which she was acquitted, the same year, court records show. In 2019, he had a complaint filed for aggressive driving that was thrown out based on lack of jurisdiction, court records show.

Since her death, Ms. Bubbitt has been held up as a martyr by several pro-Trump social-media accounts. Virginia State Sen. Amanda Chase, who was in the Capitol on Wednesday, wrote in a Facebook post late Wednesday: “ASHLII BABBIT; Name her. An elder who was brutally murdered by the Capitol Police today. “

Right-wing social media influencer Rogan O’Handley, who has 1.8 million followers on Instagram, praised Ms. Babbitt. “She did not deserve to be shot and killed by the Capitol Police while unarmed.” The post was liked more than 186,000 times.

On Twitter, an account of his name, which uses the nickname “CommonAssessions”, m. Trump supporters were regularly retweeted, including attorney L. Lynn Wood. She retweeted repeated posts about Wednesday’s rally. On Wednesday, he retweeted Mr. Wood’s remarks to resign from Vice President Mike Pence and accuse him of treason. That tweet was deleted by Twitter.

This account, opened in October 2016, contains advocates of conspiracy theories and comments. In November 2018, he posted a pair of videos, complaining about California politicians, in which he was driving.

“What do we worry about what you’re doing.” What have you done? “Ms. Bebbitt said.” I’m telling you right now, I’m noticing all of you. Every one of you is a politician in California. ”

She served as Gov. Gavin Newsome, former Gov. Jerry Brown, rep. Named Maxine Waters, All Democrat, and Republican Republican Republican Duncan Hunter.

The account also shares posts against wearing face masks to limit the spread of coronovirus. On December 9, responding to the news of an underground party breakup in Los Angeles, he tweeted that Kovid-19 was a joke.

“You are not a threat to anyone just by breathing. The officers are fine but should be ashamed. COVID is AF-ING joke! He will not get any punishment in court … it is not America but China. Here are the rules about freedom and things of that nature! ” She wrote.

—Jim Oberman and Deepa Sitharaman contributed to this article.

Write Andrew Lauren by [email protected], Alicia A. Caldwell to [email protected] and Gordon Lubold at [email protected]