A 42-year-old man who was pardoned by President Donald Trump last week for his involvement in the storming of Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, was shot and killed by a police officer after the suspect attempted to resist arrest during a traffic stop in Indiana.
In a Monday press release, the Indiana State Police identified 42-year-old Matthew Huttle as the deceased suspect who was killed during a traffic stop.
According to the initial press release, which was released on Sunday, preliminary investigations conducted by the Indiana State Police Criminal Investigations Division Lowell Post indicated that the incident occurred when a Jasper County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop at roughly 4:15 p.m. on Sunday.
“During the traffic stop, the officer attempted to arrest the suspect when the suspect resisted. An altercation took place between the suspect and the officer, which resulted in the officer firing his weapon and fatally wounding the suspect,” the India State Police said. “The investigation also shows that during the traffic stop, the suspect was in possession of a firearm.”
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The Associated Press reported that Huttle was sentenced to six months in prison in 2023 after he pleaded guilty to entering the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The outlet noted that Huttle entered the Capitol Building for roughly 16 minutes and recorded the incident on video.
“He is not a true believer in any political cause,” Andrew Hemmer, Huttle’s defense attorney, said in a court filing obtained by The Associated Press. “He instead went to the rally because he thought it would be a historic moment and he had nothing better to do after getting out of jail.”
Huttle was one of the more than 1,500 individuals who received pardons from Trump last week following a major prosecution effort against January 6 protesters under the Biden-Harris administration.
Following the fatal shooting during Sunday’s traffic stop, Jasper County Sheriff Patrick Williamson released a statement confirming that the officer involved in the shooting incident was on “paid administrative leave” as part of standard procedures regarding an “officer involved shooting.”
“Our condolences go out to the family of the deceased as any loss of life is traumatic to those that were close to Mr. Huttle,” Williamson stated. “I will release the officer’s name once I have approval from the State Police Detectives.”
