The family of Ashli Elizabeth Babbitt, the woman fatally shot in the Capitol building during the riots, is trying to get answers from police after videos of the incident circulated on social media.
“No one has contacted us,” a family member told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “No official person has gotten back to us despite the many phone calls.”
The family member and her husband confirmed that Babbitt was the woman who was shot after watching some of the many videos that circulated online. Her husband said Babbitt was a 35-year-old Air Force veteran.
“It’s her. It’s her. It’s definitely her,” the family member said.
One video shows people at the doors of the Speaker’s Lobby attempting to break in, smashing windows, and trying to push through the barricade of tables and chairs. One person, now identified as Babbitt, attempts to climb through the broken window when a shot rings out, and Babbitt falls to the ground. Others around her begin to yell for help.
Washington D.C., Police Chief Robert Contee said that Babbitt was shot by the U.S. Capitol Police, adding that three other people died during the riot due to “medical emergencies.”
Babbitt’s ex-husband, Timothy McEntee, said she was “a wonderful woman with a big heart and a strong mind.” The two were married for 14 years, divorcing in 2019.
“I am in a state of shock and feel absolutely terrible for her family,” McEntee said. “She loved America with all her heart. It’s truly a sad day.”
McEntee said he and Babbitt also served in the Air Force together and instantly recognized her in a photo that was posted online.
“[I] immediately knew it was her but was unaware she was in town, so I initially had doubts because she lives in California,” McEntee said. “But [I] reached out to a friend, and he said she was in town for the rally.”
Business records show Babbitt was the CEO of a pool service business in California, with her husband listed as the chief financial officer.
Social media accounts show that Babbitt was an avid Trump supporter and may have been a follower of the QAnon conspiracy theory.
