It’s been over seven months since Ashli Babbitt was murdered during the Jan. 6 riot. She was the only one killed that fateful day. Babbitt was unarmed and posed a threat to no one. Yet, we still don’t know the name or identity of the Capitol police officer, who brutally executed the 12-year Air Force veteran. Until now.
Babbitt’s husband and parents desperately want to know the name of the cop who shot her in the neck—at nearly point blank range. They rightly want the truth, and they deserve justice. Every other police department in the U.S. is required within days of a fatal shooting to release the full name and identity of the officer involved—including in Washington, D.C., where the United States Capitol Police (USCP) operates. In fact, it’s the law.
The only exception, however, is the USCP. Because they protect the ruling class—the venal, corrupt politicians in Congress—it is not obligated to provide the name of an officer who kills a member of the public. Backed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Democrats, the liberal media and the Deep State, the USCP is engaged in a full-blown cover-up to protect and bury the identity of Babbitt’s murderer. And they have an obvious reason to do so: Babbitt’s shooter is an incompetent police officer, a cold-blooded executioner who had no right to discharge his weapon and take the life of an innocent, unarmed American hero. It’s time his name be revealed.
According to award-winning investigative journalist, Paul Sperry, Babbitt’s killer is Lieutenant Michael L. Byrd. The evidence of his identity as the shooter is overwhelming—and Sperry should be commended for finally exposing the truth. He deserves a Pulitzer. On numerous photos, Byrd—a large black man—can be seen with his distinctive pink handkerchief, pink shirt and beaded bracelet as the one holding and firing his Glock-22 that took Babbitt’s life. Pictures, photos and the videotape do not lie: It was clearly Byrd who pulled the trigger. He fired the only round on that fateful day.
Which begs the question: Why did Byrd feel the need to shoot Babbitt, especially since she was unarmed and did not pose a physical threat to anyone? The answer is simple: He panicked under pressure and thereby he irresponsibly and criminally discharged his firearm, resulting in Babbitt’s death. Byrd should be charged and tried for murder.
A major clue to Byrd’s ineptness is the photos of him just prior to the deadly shooting, where he was in the House of Representatives alongside other USCP officers barricading themselves from the protestors. Byrd is seen as wrapping his finger around the trigger of his gun while waving and directing it toward his other colleagues—a huge and incredibly unprofessional mistake. Byrd was clearly mishandling his firearm. No other USCP officer was seen either wrapping their finger around the trigger (which is highly dangerous and irresponsible) or aiming their service weapon at other officers.
Moreover, this was not the first time Byrd mishandled his firearm. According to Roll Call, in February 2019 Byrd left his Glock-22 service revolver unattended in a restroom on the House side of the Capitol. The gun was loaded and it has no manual safety to prevent an unintentional firing. The gun was later found by another officer in the bathroom and returned to Byrd the next day. For this gross violation alone, he should have been fired—or, at least, ordered to conduct more training exercises. Apparently, nothing happened.
The public deserves to know why Byrd shot Babbitt. What motivated him to do so? She clearly did not attack him (or anyone else); she was not armed; and she did not threaten him. Furthermore, there were three armed police officers right next to her before she was shot, with another team of officers coming up the stairwell to reinforce security and further stabilize the situation. Behind him were secret service agents as well. Why didn’t Byrd simply retreat if he felt nervous or anxious? Instead, he chose to make the ultimate decision: Fire his weapon and kill Babbitt execution-style.
The reason Pelosi, the Democrats and the USCP want to suppress the truth is that Byrd is clearly a product of affirmative action—he is so blatantly incompetent and unprofessional, he had no business being there as a USCP officer on Jan. 6. He has blood on his hands.
And if the situation was reversed, if it was a white officer who gunned down a black protestor, especially a BLM or Antifa activist, the media, the Democrats and every liberal would be demanding justice. In fact, the whole world would know the officer’s name by now. But if the victim is a white Trump supporter, a “deplorable” who had the courage to protest the stolen 2020 election, then it is open season. This is a two-tiered justice system. It must not be allowed to stand. Ashli Babbitt deserves justice. And she deserves it now.
-Jeffrey T. Kuhner is host of “The Kuhner Report” on WRKO AM-680 in Boston. His daily show airs 6:00-10:00 am EST. He can be reached at: JeffreyKuhner@iheartmedia.com
Photo: Getty Images