NEW: DOJ Agrees to Settlement With Ashli Babbitt Family in $30M Lawsuit Over Capitol Police Shooting
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File
The Department of Justice has agreed in principle to settle a $30 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Ashli Babbitt, the woman fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer during the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol.
The settlement was disclosed during a Friday hearing before U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, D.C., according to ABC News.
The exact terms remain confidential, but a final agreement could be signed by the end of the month.
Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran and vocal Trump supporter, was shot while attempting to climb through a broken window leading to the Speaker’s Lobby, where members of Congress were sheltering.
Officer Michael Byrd, who fired the shot, was previously cleared of wrongdoing following an internal Capitol Police investigation and a separate DOJ review.
The family’s lawsuit, filed in January 2024, alleged Byrd used excessive force and claimed the government failed to properly train officers to handle the situation.
The case took an unexpected turn when one of Babbitt’s former attorneys filed an emergency motion to secure payment for past legal work. That motion prompted the Friday court hearing.
Robert Sticht, who represents the Babbitt family, confirmed the two sides had agreed in principle, though the case remains open until the deal is finalized.
President Donald Trump has frequently championed Babbitt’s cause, referring to her death as a “murder” and calling for justice.
In a March interview, Trump said he was unaware of the lawsuit but described Babbitt as “a really good person” and a “big MAGA fan.”
Last February, Trump blamed Babbitt’s death on Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
“I think it was an insurrection caused by Nancy Pelosi,” Trump told reporters from Mar-a-Lago. “This was an insurrection, if it was an insurrection, which, there were no guns, there were no anything, except for the fact that they shot Ashli Babbitt.”
