Officer who shot Ashli Babbitt during Capitol riot breaks silence: 'I saved....

[enslaved1]

Full headline: Officer who shot Ashli Babbitt during Capitol riot breaks silence: 'I saved countless lives'

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officer-who-shot-ashli-babbitt-during-capitol-riot-breaks-silence-n1277736

I want to play devil's advocate here.  Let us slow down and honestly apply the same standards we do to other police shootings.  Watching the video, we see a situation where deadly force is an option.  A significant number of people are trying to force their way into a hallway.  Injuring or killing one is an option with the hope of scattering the crowd. 

Armchair quarterbacking is easy.  Was that the best option?  I don't think so.  Can I honestly say I would not have done the same?  No, not honestly.  Definitely would like to think I would have realized that shooting into the crowd could just as likely rile them up further as it would scatter them. 

I see lots of knee jerk reaction bots popping off "should have complied" responses around the interwebs.  There is some truth to that response.  Trying to tear down a barricaded door when you know there are armed guards inside is a poor decision that can and in this case, as well as many other, can lead to bad consequences.   

My two bits, Lt. Byrd is not a hero, and neither is Ashli Babbet a martyr.  Byrd is lucky the crowd didn't push forward after the shot was fired, and Babbet, along with the others in the hallway, should not have been trying to break through the doors.  Byrd had an issue with leaving his weapon previously, at minimum, this should be another mark on his record and serious consideration should be taken to see if he should continue to hold a law enforcement position with both of these events on his record.  Murder charges are over and above, methinks, but there are probably other charges that may be appropriate. 

I think of cases like Botham Jean here in Dallas, the dude who ran away from the Wendy's drive thru with a cop's tazer, the poorly communicated 911 call that got Atatiana Jefferson shot and killed for thinking someone was outside also here in Texas, among other cases.  Some of those are justified, some are results of poor decisions by cops or by citizens.  Lt. Byrd's choice falls in the middle, I think. 

[ADsOutburst]

Does his statement strike anyone else as odd?

It seems to me I don't often hear police, soldiers, firemen, or anyone else tasked with protecting others say "I saved countless lives".

[DLR Pyro]

what if Ashli Babbitt was a person of color?

[enslaved1]

Does his statement strike anyone else as odd?

It seems to me I don't often hear police, soldiers, firemen, or anyone else tasked with protecting others say "I saved countless lives".

Severely odd, and that attitude is high on the list of reasons why I don't think he should be held up as any kind of hero. 

[old dog 2]

Her husband is raising money to fund a Civil Suit.  I hope Trump in 2025 considers charging him with a Civil Rights indictment.  The worked in the South 60 years ago when there was real white privilege in the Justice/LE world.  Today we have black privilege in the Northern democratic hellholes.

[freedumb2003b]

what if Ashli Babbitt was a person of color?

Then she would be an Oreo and treated with MORE disdain. 

Remember, the democrats don't like it when THEIR nigras get all uppity and leave the plantation to think for themselves.

[Eupher]

Does his statement strike anyone else as odd?

It seems to me I don't often hear police, soldiers, firemen, or anyone else tasked with protecting others say "I saved countless lives".

^^^This.

Another point is why did he announce NOW to the world that he's the shooter? Is it because DOJ said, "Nope, nuthin' to see here. No charges filed."

Is it gloating or showboating or just plain dumbassery that gets him to open his yap now?

I'll take "Dumbassery, with a touch of Gloating for $600, Alex."

This clown is a Lieutenant? Kinda tells you the level of people they're hiring in the Capitol Police Department.

[J P Sousa]

Something tells me this officer had little or NO training and had NO business firing a weapon into a crowd.

[DLR Pyro]

This clown is a Lieutenant? Kinda tells you the level of people they're hiring in the Capitol Police Department.

Affirmative action no doubt