A newly released video appears to show Ashli Babbitt attempting to stop a violent rioter inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, incursion.
Moments after the scene was filmed, Babbitt would be fatally shot by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd.
Despite several instances of violence, including the one where Babbitt intervened, the young Air Force veteran was the only person shot during the riot.
But newly released footage puts an even bigger question mark on the shooting, the investigation of which appears to have lost many of the facts while being fast-tracked.
Independent journalist Tayler Hanson released the 25-second video clip on Tuesday.
In the footage, a man identified as Zachary Alam punched through a window in the Capitol as nearby police did nothing to stop him.
Babbitt appeared to grab Alam’s backpack, causing him to turn and look at the 35-year-old veteran right before she delivered a punch to the middle of his face. As the impact sent his glasses falling, the camera shifted away from the encounter.
According to Hansen, this was only seven seconds before Babbitt was fatally shot by Byrd while seemingly attempting to scale a hastily assembled police barricade. Footage of the encounter that preceded the shooting can be seen below.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic language that some viewers will find offensive.
NEW: Ashli Babbitt punched Zachary Alam in an effort to stop him from breaching the window. This was right after the cops decided to evacuate—
She was trying to stop the attack on the windows and was visibly frustrated with Police inaction.
Watch:
[Thread] pic.twitter.com/LZSPV6ftqG
— Tayler Hansen (@TaylerUSA) January 25, 2022
The Department of Justice arrested Alam on Jan. 30, 2021.
A case document from the DOJ shows a mountain of charges against him, including several related to alleged assaults on police. While Alam is presumed innocent until proved guilty, video of the encounter likely will not do him any favors in court.
While Babbitt has been vilified by liberals and mainstream media hit pieces, this bombshell video appears to prove that the young veteran was not there to cause violence and chaos and instead actively attempted to stop the destruction.
She did not back down when the crowd grew more amped but instead appeared to be in disbelief that police were failing to intervene.
“I believe she saw their inaction as odd or off, and was ultimately confused as to what was happening,” husband Aaron Babbitt told The Epoch Times.
“She was a take-charge kind of person,” Babbitt continued. “Her frustrations show that the cops who should’ve been taking charge — weren’t.”
Although Democrats and the Capitol Police appear to consider this case closed, emerging evidence shows the public has not been given a clear and complete picture of this year-old killing.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.