US Reaches Settlement With Ashli Babbitt's Family

The US government has reached a settlement with the family of Ashli Babbitt—the protester fatally shot by police inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, reports the Washington Post and CBS News. No details have been released on the amount. In fact, the deal is described in both outlets as a settlement "in principle," with the nothing yet signed. Still, it appears the agreement will end a $30 million wrongful death lawsuit brought by Babbitt's widower, Aaron.

Babbitt's family says the Capitol Police officer who shot her used unnecessary force, though an internal review by the department afterward disagreed. The Justice Department under former President Biden planned to contest the lawsuit at trial, calling the shooting justified, but the strategy changed when President Trump won his second term, notes the Post. Babbitt's death has become a focal point since the Jan. 6 unrest, with many on the right viewing her as a martyr, notes the Hill. (More Ashli Babbitt stories.)