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Cop Who Killed Ashli Babbitt Was Never Interviewed by Police Before Being Cleared of Wrongdoing: Report

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If a new report from Real Clear Investigations turns out to be true, serious questions may be raised regarding the professional ethics of the investigation into the shooting of Ashli Babbitt.

Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, was among the crowd that illegally stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Babbitt was killed when a Capitol Police officer fired into the approaching mob.

The new report, released by RCI on Tuesday, claims that Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd — the officer who shot Babbitt — was cleared of all wrongdoing without ever having been interviewed by investigators.

The outlet cited “several sources and documents” it said it had reviewed.

An attorney for the Babbitt family, Terry Roberts, also confirmed the findings.

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“He didn’t provide any statement to investigators and they didn’t push him to make a statement,” Roberts said.

“It’s astonishing how skimpy his investigative file is.”

Among the documents reviewed by RCI was a January 2021 internal affairs report that showed Byrd “declined to provide a statement.”

A Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman confirmed the story as well, noting that Byrd had refused to cooperate with both the department’s internal affairs unit and the FBI.

Do you think the investigation into the shooting was sufficiently thorough?

“MPD did not formally interview Lt. Byrd,” said Kristen Metzger, deputy communications director for the MPD.

“He didn’t give a statement while under the U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation.”

Despite investigators never having spoken to Byrd, the Justice Department announced that no charges would be brought against him in April.

Then, in August, the DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility revealed that an internal investigation into the shooting had found Byrd’s actions to have been “lawful and within Department policy.”


The new revelations from RCI’s investigative report may very well give credence to the notion many have had that the investigation was not sufficiently thorough.

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Babbitt’s mother, Michelle Witthoeft, certainly did not believe so when she spoke to The Western Journal in July.

Witthoeft blamed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for her daughter’s death and made it clear that she believes the Capitol Police should have to answer for it.

“The Capitol Police should be held accountable like every other police department in the country,” Witthoeft said.

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Michael wrote for a number of entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020 as a staff reporter. He now manages the writing and reporting teams, overseeing the production of commentary, news and original reporting content.
Michael Austin graduated from Iowa State University in 2019. During his time in college, Michael volunteered as a social media influencer for both PragerU and Live Action. After graduation, he went on to work as a freelance journalist for various entertainment news sites before joining The Western Journal in 2020 as a staff reporter.

Since then, Michael has been promoted to the role of Manager of Writing and Reporting. His responsibilities now include managing and directing the production of commentary, news and original reporting content.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Culture, Faith, Politics, Education, Entertainment




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