I want to make sure you see this piece by Josh Kovensky on the precise details of the moments that led up to Ashli Babbitt’s death. We’ve discussed and most of us know the general story. But the details are key. One notable point is that Babbitt’s death was a turning point, not just in retrospect but in the moment as well. It basically took the wind out of many or most of the insurrectionists.
It’s not terribly surprising. You learn for certain you’re not in your standard Ammon Bundy type rightwing performance art moment when you see someone shot to death. Josh also gets into the details of something that seems basically clear if you watch the video closely, but he pulls together other evidence and accounts. The whole incident happens in a brief hand off between two sets of officers on the insurrectionists’ side of the door – one group of regular Capitol Police officers handing off to what looks like a SWAT team. The people trying to break down the door use that moment to go for it. In that moment Babbitt breaks through the upper window pane to make her way through the door and gets shot.
Read the whole thing here.
