The woman shot dead by police during Thursday’s siege of the US Capitol has been identified as Ashli Babbitt, a US Air Force veteran whose online presence echoed far-right conspiracy theories like QAnon.
United States Capitol Police confirmed her identity overnight, hours after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the federal building for a disorganised and chaotic riot against his election loss.
Footage captured during the siege appears to show a woman attempting to climb a ledge leading to long hallway. A single gunshot is heard and the woman falls onto her back. She can be seen bleeding from the mouth.
“As protesters were forcing their way toward the House Chamber where Members of Congress were sheltering in place, a sworn [United States Capitol Police] employee discharged their service weapon, striking an adult female,” the United States Capitol Police announced overnight.
Babbitt, 35, received immediate medical attention and was transported to hospital, the USCP said. She was pronounced dead shortly after.
Babbitt’s social media accounts reveal she was enveloped by QAnon – the fraudulent far-right conspiracy theory which states celebrities and Democratic politicians are complicit in ritual child abuse, and that Trump himself is pivotal to their defeat.
“They can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours,” Babbitt wrote in one of her final tweets, referencing the ‘storm’ motif adopted by the QAnon faithful.
“God bless America and WWG1WGA,” she said in another tweet, referring to the common QAnon refrain of ‘where we go one, we go all.’
On January 3, she retweeted a video shared by Trump which claimed the rally “could be the biggest event in Washington D.C. history.”
Ashli Babbitt had travelled from San Diego to Washington D.C. to join other Trump supporters, according to her brother-in-law Justin Jackson.
“Ashli was both loyal as well as extremely passionate about what she believed in,” Jackson told NBC News.
The shooting is under investigation, and USCP states the law enforcement officer who shot Babbitt has been placed on administrative leave.
A further three people died during the siege from other “medical emergencies”, Washington DC Police Chief Robert Contee said.
