Justified shooting or fair game? Shooter of Ashli Babbitt makes shocking admission - Jonathan Turley

[Geee]

The Hill

"That's my job." Those three words summed up a controversial interview this week with the long-unnamed officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6. Shortly after being cleared by the Capitol Police in the shooting, Lt. Michael Byrd went public in an NBC interview, insisting that he "saved countless lives" by shooting the unarmed protester.  

I have long expressed doubt over the Babbitt shooting, which directly contradicted standards on the use of lethal force by law enforcement. But what was breathtaking about Byrd’s interview was that he confirmed the worst suspicions about the shooting and raised serious questions over the incident reviews by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and, most recently, the Capitol Police.

Babbitt, 35, was an Air Force veteran and ardent supporter of former President Trump. She came to Washington to protest the certification of the presidential Electoral College results and stormed into the Capitol when security lines collapsed. She had no criminal record but clearly engaged in criminal conduct that day by entering Capitol and disobeying police commands. The question, however, has been why this unarmed trespasser deserved to die.

[Valin]

@Geee

 

Read this earlier today. As Always the Comments are..enlightening. Ya know how it was said "We Live In Two Different Countries.", Its rapidly coming to "We Live On Two Different Planets.". or in some cases "Two Different Galaxy's."

[Geee]

21 minutes ago, Valin said:

@Geee

 

Read this earlier today. As Always the Comments are..enlightening. Ya know how it was said "We Live In Two Different Countries.", Its rapidly coming to "We Live On Two Different Planets.". or in some cases "Two Different Galaxy's."

 

When you get your news and opinions from such great minds as Steven Colbert, well?

[SDwaters]

Yet law professors and experts who have praised such prosecutions in the past have been conspicuously silent over the shooting of an unarmed woman who had officers in front of and behind her on Jan. 6.

Pretty good bet that if Ashli Babbitt had been wearing a BLM or Antifa insignia Lt. Byrd would be headed for a Supermax prison by now.

[Valin]

For Me This one short quote says it all about "The Insurrection" On any subject there are thousands of words arguing one way or the other, BUT Sometimes there is just one quote/statement that ends the discussion.

"We Republicans may have our faults, but if we were actually going to stage an insurrection, at least one of us would remember to bring a firearm.

Along the same lines, if we were to undertake an insurrection, we would not call on a “shaman” wearing horns and a fur hat to lead it."

John Hinderaker

This is it on the insurrection.

 

 

[Valin]

OMG!!!

Jim Jordan Busted For Multiple Calls With Trump On 1/6

 

 

[Geee]

Capitol Police Officer Who Shot Ashli Babbitt Speaks (but Shouldn't Have)

[Valin]

59 minutes ago, Geee said:

Capitol Police Officer Who Shot Ashli Babbitt Speaks (but Shouldn't Have)

 

 

Everything in this image shows you What The Capital Hill Police Did Wrong. I've had a little training in this kind of thing (granted A Long Time Ago But Still...)

Byrd looks like he had his finger on the trigger(Major No No!) What is he carrying...Books? He's Not really ready to engage. The Clown cop in the middle, Right Up Against the barrier/door. What happens if/when that barrier is breached? Assuming he's not knocked back on his butt, will he just start throwing lead into the crowd?

These guys all look like they are scared and freaking out. In a situation like this These are the people who should NOT be acting this way.

The term that comes to mind is Fluster Cluck. Not something I would expect to see from Trained Security Professionals.

There needs to be some real house cleaning there. IF that was a Real insurrection, Everyone is Dead! 

[Geee]

22 minutes ago, Valin said:

The Clown cop in the middle,

OMG - and worst of all- He's not wearing a mask!!!!! Talk about insurrection!!!!

[SDwaters]

3 hours ago, Valin said:

These guys all look like they are scared and freaking out.

They never thought "the peasants" would stand up and push back. 

Their whole self-perception was at risk - They're not the "Noble Protectors of the Republic" that they imagined themselves to be.

[Valin]

3 minutes ago, SDwaters said:

They never thought "the peasants" would stand up and push back. 

Their whole self-perception was at risk - They're not the "Noble Protectors of the Republic" that they imagined themselves to be.

I was A Security Policeman in the AF (back when dinosaurs walked the Earth ) We were trained in how to React to the unexpected. Now this photo is just a millisecond in that day. But what I see in it says All these people are reacting Wrong. It LOOKS Like these cops never trained for that kind of situation, or if they did, the training didn't take (If it were me there would be a Come To Jesus meeting, with Every Cop in that photo). I mean, He admitted he didn't know who he was shooting at, or even Why, he Reacted instead of Thinking. And he doesn't even get a letter of reprimand in his file!   

[SDwaters]

Politico reported that Byrd previously was subjected to a disciplinary review when he left his Glock 22 service weapon in a bathroom in the Capitol Visitor Center complex. 

In the AF (USN here) if you'd left your sidearm in a public location like that, I'd expect you'd have gotten more that a "disciplinary review" at NJP.

[Valin]

@SDwaters

 

And he got promoted. The Peter Principle in action.