A JANUARY 6 protester pardoned by President Trump has been shot and killed by cops during a traffic stop.
Matthew Huttle, 42, died after he was pulled over in Indiana on Sunday afternoon.
Huttle, from Hobart, around 40 miles south east of Chicago, had been freed for his role in the 2021 Capitol riot just days earlier.
He was shot dead by a Jasper County sheriff’s deputy when he was pulled over on the Indiana State Road 14.
Police said they were attempting to arrest Huttle before an “altercation” led to the fatal shot.
“The suspect and the officer were involved in an altercation, leading to the officer firing his weapon and fatally injuring the suspect,” police reported.
Huttle had been in possession of a gun at the time of his stop, but no other information about the fatal incident has been released.
Police have also not revealed why Huttle was initially stopped.
Sheriff Patrick Williamson expressed his condolences to the deceased’s family, acknowledging the trauma of any loss of life to those close to Mr. Huttle.
An investigation into the death was launched and the deputy has been put on paid administrative leave.
Huttle was handed a six month jail sentence in 2023 due to his involvement in January 6.
He was handed a misdemeanor charge after he pleaded guilty to entering a restricted building and was released from jail in July 2024.
Huttle had traveled to Washington D.C. with his uncle to attend a the 2021 pro-Trump rally.
The now 42-year-old recorded the 16 minutes he spent inside the Capitol building on that day.
His defense attorney Andrew Hemmer had previously argued Huttle’s actions were not politically charged.
“He is not a true believer in any political cause,” Hemmer said in a court filing.
The individual attended the rally not out of political motivation, but rather because he believed it would mark a historic moment, having no other plans following his release from jail for a driving violation.
He was one of 1,500 people pardoned by Trump for their involvement on January 6.
The president signed the mass executive order just hours after his second inauguration last week.
