Veteran Ashli Babbitt, 35, was an ardent supporter of Trump, her family said.
The grandfather of Ashli Babbitt, one of the rioters fatally shot by police in the Capitol, describes her as an ‘excellent patriot’ and a big supporter of President Donald Trump.
Babbitt, 35, was among a furious crowd of Trump supporters who stormed Capitol Hill on Wednesday to protest against the certification of President-elect Joe Biden by Congress. She was shot dead amid the chaos and died after being taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Babbitt’s grandfather, Tony Mazziott, said in an emotional interview with “Good Morning America” that she became an ardent supporter of Trump when his bid to become president began.
“Ever since he was elected, in 2015, his bananas have been about Trump,” he said. “She thinks he is the final coming of the Lord, I think.”
Babbitt was shot by a Capitol police officer “while protesters forced their way to the House of Representatives where lawmakers were hiding,” law enforcement officials said.
In videos, it appears that Babbitt in front of a crowd of people is trying to climb up and push through the broken window next to a door frame, while other rioters are trying to break the glass of a barred door, and those around her shouting, ‘He has a gun,’ before shooting and crashing to the ground.
“According to USCP policy, the USCP employee was placed on administrative leave and their police authority was suspended pending the outcome of a joint investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and USCP,” the U.S. Capitol Police statement said.
Mazziott describes his only granddaughter as an ‘excellent patriot’ and a ‘loving person’. She also regularly attended Trump’s rallies, he said.
“She has served time in the military and is passionate about everything, especially for some reason Donald Trump,” he said.
Babbitt served a total of 12 years in the Air Force, Air Force Reserves and National Air Guard as a controller of the security forces and held the rank of senior pilot. According to military records, security force controllers are responsible for providing security at air force bases.
She served in the active service of the Air Force from 2004 to 2008, in the reserves from 2008 to 2010 and the National Guard from 2010 to 2016. She served in Afghanistan in 2005, Iraq in 2006 and the United Arab Emirates in 2012 and 2014. deploy.
A Twitter account under Babbitt’s name has identified her as a veteran and supporter of the Second Amendment, reports The Associated Press. Comments from the president and his supporters on Wednesday’s event were retweeted on the account.
Babbitt’s husband, Aaron Babbitt, told San Diego Fox branch KSWB that she had flown from her home in San Diego to Washington, DC, to meet friends for the rally. He sent her a message about 30 minutes before she was shot, but he never heard from again, he said, adding that she was killed because she “expressed her opinion”.
“She loved her country and she did what she thought was right to support her country, and with like-minded people who also love their president and their country,” Aaron Babbitt said.
In addition to her husband, Babbitt leaves behind her four brothers, mother and father, Mazziott said.
Four people died during the events on Wednesday. One police officer and two men who had ‘medical emergencies’ during the anarchy later died in hospital.
ABC News, Luis Martinez and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.