Ashley Babbitt was a 35-year-old Air Force veteran and mother of four who was shot and killed by Capitol Police on January 6, 2021, during the storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Babbitt served in the Air Force for 14 years, including multiple deployments to the Middle East. She retired as a staff sergeant in 2015 and later became a civilian contractor with the Department of Defense.
Babbitt was a strong supporter of President Donald Trump and had attended several of his rallies, including the one in Washington, D.C. on January 6. She told CNN that she came to Washington because she wanted to “be surrounded by like-minded people” who support Trump and his policies for America.
She was part of the group that breached the Capitol building and was shot as she attempted to climb through a window into the Speaker’s Lobby.
Babbitt had been married for 10 years and had two children under 10 years old, according to The New York Times. Her husband, Aaron Babbitt, told NBC News that his wife “was always there for everyone.”
A GoFundMe page set up to help her family has raised over $200,000 as of Thursday morning. Several politicians have called for donations to help her family with their medical expenses and funeral costs.
The Air Force has launched an investigation into Babbitt’s death. In an email sent out to all Air Force personnel on Wednesday afternoon, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen David Goldfein wrote that he was “deeply saddened” by Babbitt’s death and promised that investigators would examine the details of the crash “thoroughly.”
Ashley Babbitt, a 29-year-old from New Hampshire, was killed by a stray bullet in Dallas when a gunman opened fire on police officers during a protest against police brutality.
