Trump administration agrees to pay nearly $5 million to settle suit over Ashli Babbitt shooting in Capitol

Washington — The Trump administration has reached a settlement of just under $5 million in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Ashli Babbitt’s family over her shooting during the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The settlement would resolve the $30 million federal lawsuit filed by Babbitt’s estate in Washington, D.C. A Capitol police officer shot Babbitt as she attempted to climb through a broken window of a barricaded door leading to the Speaker’s Lobby. The officer was cleared of any wrongdoing, with authorities determining that he acted in self-defense and in defense of members of Congress. Details of the settlement have not been publicly disclosed, but lawyers for both parties have indicated that a settlement in principle has been reached. Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran from San Diego, was unarmed at the time of the shooting. The lawsuit alleges that the officer did not de-escalate the situation or provide warnings before firing. The Capitol Police was also accused of negligence in the handling of the incident. Trump, on his first day back in the White House in January, took action to pardon, commute sentences, or dismiss charges for over 1,500 individuals involved in the riot.