An internal investigation has cleared a U.S. Capitol Police officer of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt during the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The Justice Department previously announced that the officer would not face criminal charges in the killing of the 35-year-old California woman, who was shot as she reportedly tried to force her way through a set of doors deep inside the Capitol, the Washington Post reports.
The probe by the U.S. Capitol Police exonerated the officer for his use of force. The department said in a memo outlining the investigation that the officer’s actions were within department policy, which allows deadly force only when an officer reasonably believes they are protecting themselves or others from serious physical harm.
The department said it was not identifying the officer because he and his family “have been the subject of numerous credible and specific threats for actions that were taken as part of the job of all our officers: defending the Congress, Members, staff and the democratic process.”
