An Indiana man – recently pardoned by former President Donald Trump for his role in the 2021 US Capitol riot – has been fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop, authorities have confirmed.
Matthew Huttle, 42, of Hobart, was killed on Sunday by a Jasper County sheriff’s deputy, according to state police.
Fox News affiliate KTVU reports that officials said the deputy attempted to arrest Huttle during the stop, which escalated into what state police described as “an altercation”.
“An altercation took place between the suspect and the officer, which resulted in the officer firing his weapon and fatally wounding the suspect,” police stated.
Authorities also revealed that Huttle was armed during the traffic stop.
“The investigation also shows that during the traffic stop, the suspect was in possession of a firearm,” state police added in a statement.
The circumstances surrounding the traffic stop, including what may have prompted it, remain unclear. No further details have been released.
Jasper County Sheriff Patrick Williamson offered condolences in the wake of the fatal encounter. “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,” the sheriff said.
Nick Barnes, a lawyer who was representing Huttle in unrelated motor vehicle cases, expressed shock over the incident. “I plan to find out a lot more about it,” Barnes said, adding that he was unaware of what led to the shooting.
Jasper County Sheriff Patrick Williamson told ABC7 Chicago in a statement. “I will release the officer’s name once I have approval from the State Police Detectives.”
Role In Jan 6, 2021
Huttle’s background recently drew national attention after he received a pardon from Trump for a misdemeanor charge related to the Capitol riot.
In 2023, Huttle was sentenced to six months in custody after pleading guilty to entering a restricted building.
He had traveled to Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, with his uncle, Dale Huttle, to attend the pro-Trump rally that culminated in the storming of the Capitol.
The Independent reports that Dale Huttle was later accused of attacking a police officer with a flagpole bearing an upside-down American flag, and telling his nephew: “We ought to bum rush the Capitol building!”
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Court filings state that Huttle spent 16 minutes inside the Capitol and recorded video footage during that time.
“He is not a true believer in any political cause,” Huttle’s defense attorney, Andrew Hemmer, said in a court filing at the time. “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” for a driving-related offense.
President Trump’s Pardon For ‘Patriots’
President Trump’s pardon for those involved in January 6, 2021 came just hours after he returned to the Oval Office last Monday.
On his first day back in the Oval Office, the 78-year-old signed nearly 50 executive orders which included granting clemency to the hundreds of participants who breached the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to stop Congress from reaffirming Joe Biden’s victory over him in the 2020 presidential election.
While many charges were for unlawful entry and disorderly conduct, several defendants faced harsher penalties for more serious crimes.
Trump signed a document commuting 14 prison sentences. He also ordered the attorney general to dismiss all pending indictments related to the riot, essentially eradicating the Biden Justice Department’s effort to hold those who participated in the incident accountable.
Calling the rioters “patriots” and “hostages”, Trump has claimed that his supporters were unfairly treated by the Justice Department.
“I will say this, they’ve been in jail for a long time already. I see murderers in this country get two years, one year, and maybe no time. So they’ve already been in jail for a long time. These people have been destroyed,” he told reporters.
“What they’ve done to these people is outrageous. Even people that were aggressive, and in many cases, I believe they happen to be outside agitators. But what do I know? But I think they were. I think they were outside agitators. They were outside agitators. And obviously, the FBI was involved,” he added.
According to the Justice Department, the January 6 riot resulted in 1,583 criminal charges. As of August 2024, 562 people had been sentenced to time in federal prison, per the New York Post.
The investigation into the circumstances of Huttle’s death is ongoing.
