The news comes weeks after President Trump promised to look into the Department of Justice's effort to defeat the claim. As of a few months ago, the case had been expected to reach trial phase in July. 

On Friday, lawyers representing the DOJ and Babbitt's family notified a Washington DC judge that they'd reached an agreement in principle. When filing suit early last year, Babbitt's surviving loved ones sought $30 million in compensation for her being killed by officer Michael Byrd. The value of the pending settlement has not yet been revealed, and family attorneys say precise details are still being worked out. Beyond a potential monetary reward, there's also the question of to what extent the federal government will acknowledge Byrd's wrongdoing. Babbitt family lawyer Robert Sticht said he expects a signed agreement within three weeks. 

Byrd killed then-35-year-old Babbitt as she attempted to climb through a broken window that was part of an interior doorway close to the House chamber. Though the unarmed, 5'2", 115-pound Babbitt posed no imminent threat of inflicting death or serious injury as she awkwardly navigated the narrow space -- with a furniture barricade still ahead of her --  Boyd opted against using any type of nonlethal force, and instead shot her from an ambush position, killing her with a bullet that perforated her trachea and lung. 

In a softball interview, Byrd told NBC News, "I showed the utmost courage on January 6…I know that day I saved countless lives." To the contrary, he's the only person who took a life that day. The family's 32-page complaint alleged Byrd's weapon-handling violated Capitol Police Policy, saying that he:

Took it out of his holster before any proportionate threat had been presented

Didn't hold the weapon at "low ready," and proceeded to point it at a variety of people who, like Babbitt, posed no immediate threat

Put his finger inside the trigger guard, "tapping it on and off the trigger for at least 14 seconds before he shot and killed Ashli." A finger shouldn't be put inside the guard until the officer has decided to fire the weapon 

While it's been little-publicized by major media or leftists who screech that Babbitt "got what she deserved," Byrd had some serious disciplinary issues before Jan. 6, with some of the incidents involving the irresponsible handling and even firing of his weapon.  Despite the damning facts of the case, leftists in and out of media have treated Byrd as a hero for fending off a nonexistent "insurrection." The left's reaction to the wrongful killing demonstrated a glaring double-standard on cop misconduct.