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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Was the police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot cleared of wrongdoing?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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YES

Two separate investigations concluded that U.S. Capitol Police officer Michael Byrd did not violate any laws by opening fire on protestor Ashli Babbitt.

On Jan. 6, 2021, protestors in the Capitol attempted to break through glass doors leading to the House of Representatives chamber. When Babbitt began climbing through one of the doors, Byrd fired a single shot into her shoulder.

In April, a Justice Department investigation found that Byrd acted “reasonably” in halting Babbitt's advance to defend himself and members of Congress.

In August, a Capitol police investigation found that Byrd’s “conduct was...within department policy” of permitting use of deadly force when defending “the officer’s...life, or [that] of any person in immediate danger.”

Although Babbitt herself was unarmed, Byrd believes “he saved countless lives” given the threat of the mob attacking members of Congress were they to have broken through the doors.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US Department of Justice Department of Justice closes investigation into the death of Ashli Babbitt
US Capitol Police USCP completes internal investigation into the January 6 officer-Involved shooting
NBC News Officer who shot Ashli Babbitt during Capitol riot breaks silence: ‘I saved countless lives”
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Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.