Cop Who Killed Ashli Babbitt Was Cleared of Criminal Wrongdoing Without Interview

Ashli Babbitt on what would be her final birthday, before being shot and killed at the U.S. Capitol. CapitolPunishmentTheMovie.com/Bark at the Hole Productions

When U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd went on “NBC Nightly News” to tell his side of shooting and killing unarmed Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt, he made a point to note he’d been investigated by several agencies and exonerated for his actions that day.

“There’s an investigative process [and] I was cleared by the DOJ [Department of Justice], and FBI and [the D.C.] Metropolitan Police,” he told NBC News anchor Lester Holt in August, adding that the Capitol Police also cleared him of wrongdoing and decided not to discipline or demote him for the shooting.