Police identify woman shot dead by Capitol police as Ashli ​​Babbitt

His social media posts leave clues as to how a 35-year-old veteran has become an angry supporter of the president.

In a recent post, she included the hashtag # WWG1WGA, or Where We Go 1 We Go All, a slogan associated with QAnon, a loosely organized network and community of far-right believers who embrace a range of unsubstantiated beliefs.

Ms Babbitt died on Wednesday after being shot by Capitol Police, police said, as part of a mob aimed at disrupting the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Capitol Police identified Ms Babbitt Thursday and said the officer who shot her was put on leave as her death was investigated.

Ms. Babbitt lived in San Diego. She and her husband owned a pool service and supply company in suburban San Diego, according to California state business records. Her husband did not respond to phone messages and emails.

Robert J. Contee III, DC Metropolitan Police Chief, described the incident on Wednesday. “A Capitol policeman discharged a service weapon hitting an adult woman,” he said. “She was taken to a local hospital where all rescue efforts failed. She was declared deceased.

Several videos of the shooting posted to social media show Ms Babbitt, who appears to wear a Trump flag as a cape, falling from a shattered window after being shot by an officer on the other side of a set of double doors. The doors appear to have been barricaded to prevent rioters from making their way into a hallway of Congress.

In the videos, several police officers appear to be providing first aid to Ms Babbitt, who was taken to hospital and later died of her injuries.

Ms Babbitt’s husband told San Diego TV station KUSI on Wednesday that she was a passionate supporter of Trump. A Facebook page attributed to Ms Babbitt indicates that the two tied the knot in 2019.

In social media profiles in her name, Ms Babbitt is described as a veteran and libertarian who loved her husband, her big black and white dog “and especially my country”.

Ms. Babbitt served in the U.S. Air Force as Ashli ​​Elizabeth McEntee in the branch security forces between 2004 and 2008, according to military records. She was a senior aviator, an E-4 grade, and last served at Dyess Air Force Base, near Abilene, Texas. She did not rise to become a non-commissioned officer after years in the reserve and the National Guard, according to official records.

She left active duty in April 2008 and served in the Air Force Reserve from 2008 to 2010, then served in the Air National Guard until 2016, according to records.

During her career, she has been deployed abroad, notably in Iraq.

It was in 2016 that Ms Babbitt received the first of two peace orders, the Maryland version of a restraining order, according to court records, although they do not provide details of who requested the ‘order. She had another restraining order filed against her in 2017, according to Maryland court records. She was also indicted in Maryland that year for “willful damage to a motor vehicle without the consent of the owner” but was found not guilty. She was charged again in 2016 with reckless endangerment, for which she was found not guilty, and malicious destruction of property, for which she was acquitted, the same year, according to court records. In 2019, a complaint was filed against her for aggressive conduct which was dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction, court records show.

Since her death, Ms Babbitt has been viewed by many pro-Trump social media accounts as some sort of martyrdom. Virginia State Senator Amanda Chase, who was on Capitol Hill Wednesday, wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday night: “ASHLI BABBITT; say HIS name. A veteran who was brutally murdered by Capitol Police today.

Right-wing social media influencer Rogan O’Handley, who has 1.8 million followers on Instagram, praised Ms Babbitt. “She didn’t deserve to be shot and killed by the Capitol Police when she was unarmed.” The post has been liked over 186,000 times.

On Twitter, an account in his name that uses the nickname “CommonAshSense,” regularly retweeted supporters of Mr. Trump, including lawyer L. Lin Wood. She has repeatedly retweeted articles about Wednesday’s rally. On Wednesday, she retweeted a comment from Mr Wood calling on Vice President Mike Pence to step down and be charged with treason. This tweet was deleted by Twitter.

The account, which opened in October 2016, includes retweets and comments supporting conspiracy theories. In November 2018, she posted a pair of videos, recorded while driving, complaining about California politicians.

“What if we worried about what you’re doing.” What have you done? “Said Mrs. Babbitt.” I tell you now, I warn you all. Every one of you politicians in California.

She named Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Gov. Jerry Brown, Rep. Maxine Waters, All Democrats, and former Republican MP Duncan Hunter.

The account also shared messages against wearing face masks to limit the spread of the coronavirus. On December 9, in response to a report about the dissolution of an underground party in Los Angeles, she tweeted that Covid-19 was a joke.

“You are not a threat to anyone just by breathing. The officers are fine but should be ashamed of themselves. COVID IS AF – ING JOKE! They will not face any punishment in court … this is America, not China. There are rules here about freedoms and things of that nature! she wrote.

—Jim Oberman and Deepa Seetharaman contributed to this article.

Write to Andrew Duehren at [email protected], Alicia A. Caldwell at [email protected] and Gordon Lubold at [email protected]