The Air Force has offered full military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, the rioter who was fatally shot by police while storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, four years ago, officials said Thursday.
Babbitt, 35, was an Air Force veteran who traveled to Washington to protest then-President Donald Trump’s election loss, her family said. She was among the rioters trying to enter the House chamber.
As Babbitt attempted to climb through the broken window of a barricaded door leading to the Speaker’s Lobby, U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd fired a fatal shot at her.
Although Byrd was cleared of wrongdoing by the Justice Department and Capitol Police, Babbitt’s death has continued to be used by some right-wing groups as a rallying point, portraying her as a martyr.
“After reviewing the circumstances of SrA Babbitt’s death, the Air Force has offered Military Funeral Honors to SrA Babbitt’s family,” an Air Force spokesperson said.
The conservative legal group Judicial Watch had long pushed for Babbitt to receive full military funeral honors, arguing that she was a victim of government misconduct.
“Ashli Babbitt’s patriotic and courageous service in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard also merits favorable action on this request,” the group wrote in a post on Wednesday, announcing the Air Force’s decision.
Babbitt was an active social media user who followed various conspiracy theories. She believed in pizzagate, a false claim that Democrats were running a child abuse ring from a Washington pizza restaurant, and supported QAnon, a conspiracy movement claiming, without evidence, that Trump was secretly fighting an international network of criminals and pedophiles.
Babbitt’s estate filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. government in early 2024. Later, after Trump returned to the White House in November, his administration reached a $5 million settlement to resolve the civil complaint.
A representative for Babbitt’s family could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
