Woman fatally shot during riot at Capitol identified by family

A woman who was fatally shot during the riot at the Capitol has been identified by her family as Ashli Babbit.

The 35-year-old's death was confirmed to KUSI News by her husband Aaron, and her identity was again verified by her mother-in-law to Fox 5 DC.

PEOPLE reports that she was a veteran, whose social media feeds showed that she was an outspoken Trump supporter.

Babbit's husband told KUSI News that she served four tours of duty during her 14 years in the air force and was from San Diego.

In a press conference late on Wednesday night (January 6), Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert J. Contee III said that a woman was fatally shot by police who were confronting rioters as they stormed the building.

"One Capitol police officer discharged his service weapon, striking an adult female," Contee said.

He added that the woman was subsequently taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Contee explained that the 35-year-old's death would be investigated by MPD's internal affairs division "as we investigate all officer-involved deaths in the District of Columbia, including ones from other agencies.

"This is a tragic incident and I send my condolences to the victim’s family and friends."

He added that three other people were killed during the Capitol riots which left at least 14 MPD officers injured.

Credit: PA Images

Babbit's identification comes after PEOPLE reported earlier on Wednesday that a woman had been fatally shot during the riots.

During an earlier press conference, Contee said:  "I can confirm that one civilian was reported to have sustained a gunshot wound inside of the Capitol. Details of the shooting are not immediately available, and the situation remains under investigation."

Babbit's brother-in-law, Justin Jackson, told NBC 7 that while he had been in contact with Washington police, he had not been informed of what led to the shooting of the 35-year-old.

He said: "Ashli was both loyal as well as extremely passionate about what she believed in. She loved this country and felt honored to have served in our Armed Forces. Please keep her family in your thoughts and respect their privacy during this time."