The man who abruptly and suddenly shot and killed patriotic veteran Ashli Babbitt on January 6 has been formally exonerated following an “internal probe” by Capitol Police. Evidence suggests that her killer is a Capitol Hill Lt. named Michael Leroy Byrd.
The Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt outside a door of the U.S. Capitol has been formally exonerated after an internal investigation, according to reports. Independent journalist Taylor Hansen has previously identified Babbitt’s shooter as Capitol Hill Police Lt. Michael Leroy Byrd, as reported by National File.
From the NBC report:
The officer, whose name has not been released, opened fire on Babbitt as she and a mob of other Trump supporters tried to forcefully enter the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Video of the shooting showed Babbitt in front of a crowd of rioters trying to get through a door leading to where members of Congress were being evacuated on the House side of the building.
The Justice Department announced in April that no charges were being brought against the officer. The exoneration by the Capitol Police wraps up the last remaining investigation into the incident.
A memo from the commander of the Capitol Police’s Office of Personal Responsibility says “no further action will be taken in this matter” after the officer was exonerated for use of force.
While the name of Babbitt’s killer continues to be hidden from the public, Capitol Hill Sergeant At Arms Timothy Blodgett seemed to accidentally admit Mike Byrd shot Babbitt back in July. (READ MORE: BREAKING: Trump Asks ‘Who Shot Ashli Babbitt’, ‘And How Come So Many People Are Still In Jail Over January 6’)
President Donald Trump said he believed he knew the identity of the man who gunned down unarmed Babbitt inside the Capitol. “If it were the opposite way, that man would be all over, he would be the most well-known, and I believe I can say man, because I believe I know exactly who it is, but he would be the the most well-known person in this country, in the world,” Trump continued, “but the person that shot Ashli Babbit, boom, right through the head. There was no reason for that, and why isn’t that person being opened up, and why isn’t that being studied? They’ve already written it off, they say that that case is closed. if that were the opposite, that case would be going on for years and years, and it would not be pretty.”