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Air Force Offers Military Funeral Honors to Ashli Babbitt, Reversing 2021 Denial

The move follows an internal review prompted after a nearly $5 million government settlement resolved the family's wrongful-death suit.

A poster of Ashli Babbitt, who was killed by Capitol Police during the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, hangs on a fence on the first anniversary of the event outside the Capitol, in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2022.
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A picture of Ashli Bobbitt hangs near the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2022.
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Overview

  • Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew Lohmeier said in an Aug. 15 letter that the prior decision to deny honors was incorrect after reviewing new information.
  • He extended the offer to Babbitt’s family and invited her husband and mother to meet him at the Pentagon to convey condolences.
  • The family’s 2021 request was rejected by Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, who wrote that granting honors would bring discredit upon the Air Force.
  • Judicial Watch, which represents the family, released the letter publicly and previously announced a $4.975 million settlement with the U.S. government in May.
  • Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, was fatally shot by U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd on Jan. 6, 2021; prosecutors did not bring charges after internal reviews.