One of the Jan. 6 defendants who was picked to receive a pardon from President Trump has been shot dead.
42-year-old Matthew Huttle, according to ABC7, was killed during a traffic stop Sunday afternoon. Huttle resisted arrest, causing a scuffle that ended in his death.
Huttle, of Hobart, had received a pardon from President Trump only days before, but the man had been released from prison months ago after completing his sentence.
A Jasper County Sheriff's Department deputy pulled Huttle over on Indiana State Road 14 near the Pulaski County line around 4:15 p.m.
The man had a gun on him at the time, but police did not share the details of the arrest, including why he was stopped.
“An altercation took place between the suspect and the officer, which resulted in the officer firing his weapon and fatally wounding the suspect,” state police said.
Huttle spent sixteen minutes inside the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, and was sentenced to six months in prison after he pled guilty to entering a restricted area. His uncle, Dale Huttle, pleaded guilty to assaulting police and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Both Huttles were pardoned by Trump, with Dale Huttle walking out of jail on January 20. Matthew Huttle was released in July and was on supervised release when he was killed.
His defense lawyer previously said he was only at the Capitol to witness a "historic event" and because he needed something to do after getting out of jail for a driving offense.
"He is not a true believer in any political cause," defense attorney Andrew Hemmer said in a court filing.
President Trump, on his first day back in the White House, pardoned the majority of the 1,500 people charged in connection to January 6th, fulfilling a campaign promise to help supporters of his whom he described as "hostages" of an unfair justice system.
"These people have been destroyed," Trump said. "What they've done to these people is outrageous. There's rarely been anything like it in the history of our country."
The sheriff's deputy who shot Matthew Huttle has been placed on paid administrative leave.
“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,” Jasper County Sheriff Patrick Williamson said.
