The Trump administration has agreed to pay around $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt, in order to settle a $30 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by Babbitt estate, according to Associated Press. She was shot and killed during Capitol Hill riots on January 6, 2021.
Babbitt was attempting to breach her way into the US House speaker at the time, Nancy Pelosi, when the Trump supporter was shot dead by a capital police officer, which on investigation was determined as an act of self-defence and defence of members of Congress.
The prosecutors said earlier this month in a hearing that the settlement agreement has been reached, though the details of it were not made public back then. On May 2, lawyers for Babbitt's estate and the Justice Department told a federal judge that they had reached a settlement in principle but were still working out the details before a final agreement could be signed.
The lawsuit alleges that Ashli(35), an Air Force veteran, was unarmed when she was shot, and the police officer failed to de-escalate the situation and give any warning command before opening fire. It also accuses Capitol Police of negligence, that the department should have known that the officer was "prone to behave in a dangerous or otherwise incompetent manner."
In April 2021, US Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia absolved the officer of any wrongdoing, and that no federal law was broken. The Justice Department determined that there was “no evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer willfully” used unlawful or unreasonable force.
The settlement has received criticism from multiple quarters as well.
In a statement on Monday, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said he was “extremely disappointed and disagrees with this settlement.”
“In 2021, the DOJ investigation determined no wrongdoing by police. This settlement sends a chilling message to law enforcement nationwide, especially to those with a protective mission like ours,” Manger said.
House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, referred to the deal as a “slap in the face” of American people.
The Democratic leader said that the settlement was “totally done without any communication to the chief of the Capitol police or his lawyers, and appears solely the result of a political determination that Donald Trump and Republicans are going to try to whitewash what happened on January 6.
“This settlement is just an extension of what they’ve previously done, which is to pardon violent felons who violently attacked the Capitol on January 6, including police officers, and now have all been pardoned and sent back to communities across the country where in some cases they’re re-engaging in criminal activity,” he added.
After President Donald Trump addressed his January 6 “Stop the Steal” rally, a mob of thousands stormed the Capital, more than 100 police officers were injured in the attack.
In January, on his first day back in the White House, Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or ordered the dismissal of charges for all of the more than 1,500 people charged with crimes in the riot.
Babbitt was attempting to breach her way into the US House speaker at the time, Nancy Pelosi, when the Trump supporter was shot dead by a capital police officer, which on investigation was determined as an act of self-defence and defence of members of Congress.
The prosecutors said earlier this month in a hearing that the settlement agreement has been reached, though the details of it were not made public back then. On May 2, lawyers for Babbitt's estate and the Justice Department told a federal judge that they had reached a settlement in principle but were still working out the details before a final agreement could be signed.
The lawsuit alleges that Ashli(35), an Air Force veteran, was unarmed when she was shot, and the police officer failed to de-escalate the situation and give any warning command before opening fire. It also accuses Capitol Police of negligence, that the department should have known that the officer was "prone to behave in a dangerous or otherwise incompetent manner."
In April 2021, US Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia absolved the officer of any wrongdoing, and that no federal law was broken. The Justice Department determined that there was “no evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer willfully” used unlawful or unreasonable force.
The settlement has received criticism from multiple quarters as well.
In a statement on Monday, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said he was “extremely disappointed and disagrees with this settlement.”
“In 2021, the DOJ investigation determined no wrongdoing by police. This settlement sends a chilling message to law enforcement nationwide, especially to those with a protective mission like ours,” Manger said.
House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, referred to the deal as a “slap in the face” of American people.
The Democratic leader said that the settlement was “totally done without any communication to the chief of the Capitol police or his lawyers, and appears solely the result of a political determination that Donald Trump and Republicans are going to try to whitewash what happened on January 6.
“This settlement is just an extension of what they’ve previously done, which is to pardon violent felons who violently attacked the Capitol on January 6, including police officers, and now have all been pardoned and sent back to communities across the country where in some cases they’re re-engaging in criminal activity,” he added.
After President Donald Trump addressed his January 6 “Stop the Steal” rally, a mob of thousands stormed the Capital, more than 100 police officers were injured in the attack.
In January, on his first day back in the White House, Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or ordered the dismissal of charges for all of the more than 1,500 people charged with crimes in the riot.
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