What we know about the 4 deaths in the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol
CNN) — One woman was fatally shot by police and three people died of apparent medical emergencies Wednesday when a mob of President Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol.
The four people died during a stunning attack at the heart of American democracy as members of the mob vandalized the building and assaulted police officers.
At least 14 DC Metropolitan Police officers were injured, including one who was hospitalized after suffering serious injuries when he was pulled into a crowd and assaulted, police Chief Robert Contee said. One officer had significant facial injuries from being struck by a projectile, and another officer was hospitalized after being pepper-sprayed.
Metro Police made 80 arrests related to unrest this week in downtown DC, including 68 arrests Wednesday night, according to a mayor’s spokeswoman. Most were for violations of the mayor’s 6 p.m. curfew.
Here’s what we know about the people who died:
Air Force veteran fatally shot by police
A woman was fatally shot by a US Capitol Police employee as the mob tried to force its way toward the House Chamber where members of Congress were sheltering, US Capitol Police said in a statement.
The woman was given medical assistance immediately and taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Authorities identified her as Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old from Huntington, Maryland.
Babbit’s mother, Michelle Witthoeft told CNN Thursday she was devastated to learn of her daughter’s death.
“I loved and admired her greatly,” Witthoeft said of Babbitt. “She served this country boldly and proudly.”
Babbitt was an ardent Trump supporter who held strong political views, her mother said, and was “passionate enough to die for what she believed in.”
Babbitt, who was previously married but separated from her husband in 2019, frequently attended pro-Trump rallies. She flew to Washington, DC, from San Diego, California, with the intent to participate in the protest this week, her mother said.
“Her political views were strong and adamant, and she voiced them whenever she could,” Witthoeft said.
A CNN review of Babbitt’s social media accounts determined Babbitt frequently voiced support for President Trump and other conservative figures on Facebook. She also shared content promoting political conspiracy theories often pushed by far-right figures.
Babbitt served as a senior airman in the US Air Force from 2004 to 2008 under the name Ashli Elizabeth McEntee, according to military records. She was a member of the Air Force Reserve from 2008 to 2010 and was in the Air National Guard from 2010 until November 2016, records show.
“She served in the United States Air Force and was deployed four times and came back safely, only to have her own country shoot her down,” Witthoeft said tearfully by phone.
The US Capitol Police employee who shot Babbitt has been placed on administrative leave and their police powers have been suspended pending a joint Metro Police and USCP investigation, USCP said.
“This is a tragic incident, and I send my condolences to the victim’s family and friends,” Metro Police Chief Contee said.
Two people who saw the shooting, left-wing activist John Sullivan and documentary filmmaker Jade Sacker, provided CNN with video of the incident and described the moments beforehand.
Sullivan said rioters were using flag poles and other items to smash glass windows inside the Capitol. The woman then tried to make her way through the window when several people with guns came out through the doorways.
“The second that she climbed through the window she got shot right in the neck area, fell backwards,” Sullivan said in an interview that broadcast on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.”
“I just remember the sense of shock and sorrow that somebody just died and did not need to die.”
The woman was trying to enter an area that did not yet appear to have been breached by rioters, Sullivan said.
“It was an area that was completely blocked off,” he said. “They had chairs up against the doorway, tables, so people couldn’t get in.”
Three others dead
Three other people who had come from out of state died of “medical emergencies” during the riot, police said.
“One adult female and two adult males appear to have suffered from separate medical emergencies, which resulted in their deaths,” Contee said. “Any loss of life in the District is tragic and our thoughts are with anyone impacted by their loss.”
Police identified them as Benjamin Phillips, 50, of Ringtown, Pennsylvania; Kevin Greeson, 55, of Athens, Alabama; and Rosanne Boyland, 34, of Kennesaw, Georgia. The three were on the grounds of the Capitol when they experienced their medical emergencies, Contee said.
Greeson had a history of high blood pressure and suffered a heart attack amid the excitement, his family said in a statement to CNN. He was an advocate of Trump and attended the event to show his support.
“He was excited to be there to experience this event,” the statement said. “He was not there to participate in violence or rioting, nor did he condone such actions.”
The family says they are devastated by the loss.
“Kevin was a wonderful father and husband who loved life,” the family statement said. “He loved to ride motorcycles, he loved his job and his coworkers, and he loved his dogs.”
DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported people to area hospitals with injuries ranging from cardiac arrest to multiple fractures after falling from scaffolding on the West front of the Capitol building.
However, city officials did not say whether any of these people are the ones who died.