The officer, who has been cleared of any wrongdoing, has spoken publicly for the first time since the January 6 riots, saying he had to shoot Ashli Babbitt to save the lives of members of Congress.
The US Capitol Police officer who fatally shot a woman as she tried to force her way into the House of Representatives during the January 6 attack says the shooting was a "last resort" and he believed she posed a threat to members of Congress.
"I hoped and prayed no-one tried to enter through those doors but their failure to comply required me to take the appropriate action to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers."and within department policy by shooting the supporter of then-president Donald Trump as she tried to force her way through a smashed window into the House of Representatives' Speaker's Lobby.
The shooting of Ashli Babbitt, 35, came on a day of violence that saw hundreds of Trump supporters fight their way into the Capitol, attacking police and sending politicians running. Ms Babbitt was a US Air Force veteran who embraced far-right conspiracy theories on social media, including Mr Trump's false assertions that his 2020 presidential election loss was due to fraud.Far-right groups have embraced Ms Babbitt as a martyr, arguing she was murdered.
Her cause has also been taken up by Mr Trump, who falsely claimed last month the officer who shot her was the "head of security" for a "high-ranking" Democratic member of Congress.
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