Published on February 4, 2024, 1:43 am

On January 6, Aaron Babbitt, the spouse of late Ashli Babbitt, launched a wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government due to her death during the protests of Jan. 6 at the U.S Capitol. The suit argues claims of wrongful death and assault and battery, led by attorneys from Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group.

Judicial Watch announced recently that it has now filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit for Mr. Babbitt and Ashli Babbitt’s estate against the Department of Justice (DOJ). This suit aims to procure all FBI files regarding the shooting death inside U.S. Capitol by then-Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd.

The lawsuit lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California is targeting production of FBI files on both Ashli and Aaron Babbitt. The initiative was taken after two February 27, 2023, FOIA requests were denied by the FBI, who also failed to respond to an appeal challenging this denial.

Ashli had travelled alone from San Diego to attend Washington, D.C.’s Women for America First rally on January 6, 2021. During protests causing demonstrators to flood the hallway outside the Speaker’s Lobby’s east entrance, she was shot as she attempted to climb through one of door sidelights with dislodged glass panels.

Lt.Byrd later confessed that he had shot Ashli without seeing her hands or assessing her intentions or even recognizing her as female. She was unarmed when shot and died as a result.

According to Judicial Watch’s statement against ‘stiff-arming’ by FBI towards FOIA compliance demands not only has filtration been done related to case files retrieval but also obstructed DOJ office advocating for FOIA compliance.

“Why is there a cover-up?” asked Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch on Ashli Babbit being a homicide victim on Jan. 6 and family’s denied access to her FBI files within a year.

This article shares Ashli Babbitt’s traumatizing last moments as seen in the Judicial Watch filing; describing that she remained conscious for several minutes after being shot, experiencing severe pain, mental anguish, and tremendous fear before falling into pre-terminal unconsciousness.

Profound controversies circle Ashli’s autopsy report which identified cause of death as a gunshot wound to the left shoulder with an onset interval of minutes. The fact she was alive and breathing post-shooting is documented in videos of the incident.

Ashli was pronounced dead at Washington Hospital Center at 3:15 p.m., with the medical examiner defining manner of death as homicide. The case over Ashli’s shooting was put to rest by the Department Of Justice on April 21, 2021. They announced no intention to charge then-Lt Byrd for Babbitt’s death.

Whether this decision was just or unjust depends largely on personal perspectives and remains debated hotly among followers of this real news event from a Christian worldview.

Justice certainly has many faces depending upon how trusted news being disseminated is interpreted; does it exude fairness or represents a gross travesty? Perspectives may vary but one truth stands solid in breaking news – every story is vital and deserves full disclosure leaving no room for ambiguity.