Did a child get shot, "no questions asked"? And are all the people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, still alive? No, that's not true: A post compares the death of a Black teenager, who was shot by police in Columbus, Ohio, to the treatment of "mostly armed white nationalists" by Capitol Police. It's correct that both the shooting and riots happened, but the post overstates. Before firing his weapon, the Columbus officer asked, twice: "What's going on?" and Capitol Police fatally shot one rioter, identified as Ashli Babbitt.
The claims appeared in an Instagram post (archived here) published on April 21, 2021. The post read:
IF YOU'RE A WHITE PERSON IN THE U.S., I WANT TO SEE YOU ENRAGED RIGHT NOW. ANYTHING LESS IS UNACCEPTABLE. A CHILD WAS SHOT IN THE CHEST 4 TIMES AFTER CALLING THE POLICE FOR HELP. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. WHEN 400+ MOSTLY ARMED WHITE NATIONALISTS WHO VIOLENTLY STORMED THE U.S. CAPITOL ON FILM WEEKS AGO ARE ABLE TO GIVE AN AUDIBLE NOT GUILTY PLEA BC THEY'RE STILL ALIVE.
Users on social media saw this:
The post is correct in saying that both the Columbus, Ohio shooting of a teen-age girl and the insurgent riots at the U.S. Capitol took place, but it overstates its claims about the known facts.
In the first case, the Columbus officer who fatally shot 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant asked, "What's going on?" twice before firing his weapon. The incident, as shown by the officer's body camera video, unfolded in a matter of seconds. Lead Stories has written about the shooting before. See here for that story, and watch the police body camera footage below:
Interim Columbus Police Chief Michael Woods held a press conference the same day as the shooting, April 20, 2021. He told reporters that officers were dispatched after a "caller said females were there trying to stab them and put their hands on them." At the time of writing, April 23, 2021, it's unclear who made the 911 call.
In the second case, Capitol Police fatally shot one rioter, identified as 36-year-old Ashli Babbitt of Lakeside, California. Lead Stories has written about the Babbitt shooting before. See here and here for those stories.
U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) confirmed Babbitt's death. A statement released one day after the riots read:
As protesters were forcing their way toward the House Chamber where Members of Congress were sheltering in place, a sworn USCP employee discharged their service weapon, striking an adult female. Medical assistance was rendered immediately, and the female was transported to the hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries. She has been identified as Ashli Babbitt.
Four other people also died, including three who experienced health complications, and Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died of natural cases, according to the chief medical examiner for the District of Columbia.
It is true that the remainder of the rioters did not die during the storming of the Capitol and that hundreds face charges. The Department of Justice's list of defendants can be seen here.
