An Indiana man, Matthew Huttle, who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and had recently been pardoned by President Trump, was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop in January 2025. Body camera footage shows Huttle telling the deputy that he couldn’t afford legal trouble, then running to his vehicle and threatening to shoot himself with a handgun. The deputy shot him after a struggle as Huttle raised the firearm.
Huttle, a convicted Capitol rioter, was pulled over for speeding and driving without a license, and was found to be a habitual traffic violator, a felony offense. The deputy was deemed legally justified in using deadly force to defend himself, as Huttle posed an imminent risk when he reached for the weapon. An independent review by the Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed this assessment and deemed the investigation closed.
Huttle’s statement about awaiting a pardon for his Capitol riot conviction added a layer of complexity to the situation. The deputy involved in the shooting was put on administrative leave following the incident. The body camera footage and the circumstances of the shooting were released to the public in a statement by the special prosecutor, Chris Vawter.
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