(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The Justice Department has finally agreed to a preliminary settlement with the family of Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran and Trump supporter who was shot and killed by a Capitol officer during the Jan. 6, 2021 protests.
Babbitt, a 14-year Air Force veteran, was shot and killed by then-Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd while crawling through a window in the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 protests.
Byrd was controversially cleared of any wrongdoing by the department after a months-long internal investigation, despite public outcry. He has claimed that he acted with “the utmost courage” and “saved countless lives.”
However, earlier records obtained by Judicial Watch found that other officers at the scene did not see a weapon in Babbitt’s hands prior to the shooting and that they did not hear Byrd issue any verbal commands prior to the shooting. Lt. Byrd later confessed that he shot Ashli before seeing her hands or assessing her intentions or even identifying her as female.
The DOJ has agreed to a civil settlement with the family of Ashli Babbitt but her killer, officer Michael Byrd, still hasn't been arrested nor charged despite him admitting that he didn't believe she was armed (she wasn't) when he murdered her.
That needs to change.
As a… pic.twitter.com/4EaoToSKgA
— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) May 3, 2025
The Babbitt family later sued the federal government, arguing that Byrd used excessive force. At the time of the shooting, Babbitt was attempting to climb through a broken window leading to the Speaker’s Lobby.
Babbitt was just 35 years old. Her estate sought $30 million in the wrongful death lawsuit, which was filed in 2024.
As reported by ABC News, Babbitt family attorney Robert Sticht confirmed in a legal filing on Friday that a formal settlement agreement will be signed within the next three weeks.
Although the terms remain undisclosed, both sides informed federal Judge Ana Reyes that a resolution is imminent.
Judicial Watch, the renowned conservative legal group representing the Babbitt estate, released a statement saying the “parties have agreed to work in good faith to narrow or resolve issues in this case.”
“All we want is justice and we hope the Justice Department under President Trump would share that goal ultimately,” added Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
The settlement comes just months after President Donald Trump issued sweeping pardons for more than 1,500 Jan. 6 protesters. Many had long affirmed they were politically targeted and abused by the Biden DOJ to make an example of them.
